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Microsoft Launches 'Windows Xbox'

http://www.engadget.com/2013/05/21/xbox-one-runs-three-operating-systems/ — Wed, 22 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Microsoft has launched a new version of Xbox which carries 3 operating systems, including a version of Windows for apps and software, a new version of Xbox gaming OS, and a small OS that manages the interaction of the other 2 OS. Users will find a Windows Xbox experience is similar to Windows 8 and Windows Phone, such as Tiles and Start Screen. Developers will find greater commonality between Windows Xbox and other Windows versions, but will still need to perform extra coding to make software function across the platforms.

ZTE Makes Top 5 in U.S. Smartphone Market

http://bgr.com/2013/05/03/zte-american-smartphone-market-share-analysis/ — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Virtually unknown a few years ago ZTE now commands an impressive position in the smartphone market, making it into the top 5 and possibly headed higher using its low cost device strategy.

Yahoo Continues with Microsoft Search Despite Disappointing Results

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

With no other viable options Yahoo is continuing its use of Bing for search and is paying Microsoft 12% of revenue from ads resulting from search. This 10 year deal has an opt-out provision in 2015, but Yahoo has no options.

Twitter Acquires Startup Ubalo

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

This acquisition of a small, 4 person shop based in Palo Alto focuses on the ability to scale code designed for single machines to extend across many machines, a process that is laborious and time consuming.

TeliaSonera Makes News with 4G Win in Spain

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

TeliSonera says that its subsidiary Yoigo will become the first operator to have commercial 4G services in the Spanish market when it begins service in July - beating out the other major contenders including Telefonica, Orange, and Vodafone.

Telenor and Tata Getting Together?

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Speculation of an arrangement is not new, but now it appears that merchant bankers have been appointed on both sides to consider options, making a deal more likely.

Telefonica and Dell Partner to Provide Laptops with Pay-as-you-go Service

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Dell and Telefonica have entered into an agreement whereby the Dell NetReady system which has an embedded M2M Sim card and app preinstalled will be available in Europe, allowing users to connect via Telefonica's network.

Sony Achieves Profitability but Demand Continues to Fall

http://www.theverge.com/2013/5/9/4314430/sony-2012-fy-earnings — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Sony achieved its first full-year net profit in five years but also is witnessing lower revenues for its electronics divisions. Sony's financial services and movie business were the most profitable.

Samsung is Amassing Much Cash

http://allthingsd.com/20130508/samsungs-good-problem-a-growing-cash-pile/ — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Samsung is assembling a significant amount of cash, some $40 billion as of the end of March. Even after removing its debt obligations Samsung will be holding a net $28 billion.

Nokia Launches New Smartphone Designed for Verizon

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Nokia introduced the Lumia 928 designed for Verizon and a variant of the Lumia 920, a Windows Phone 8 device used on AT&T. Priced at $100 the 928 will be available in the U.S. next week and comes with 4.5" display, 1.5GHz dual core Snapdragon S4 processor, and a 2000m Ah battery.

Nokia Launches The Lumia 925

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22507935 — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Nokia has launched its new flagship smartphone, the Lumia 925. The 925 is slimmer and lighter than its predecessor the 920; and offers a new camera lens and display.

Microsoft Offering $1 Billion for Barnes & Noble's Nook

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Microsoft is pursuing Nook with an offer that comes on the heels of a previous $300 million investment it made in that business in April 2012. Microsoft would purchase Nook's digital operations including e-books, movies, TV, comics, apps, etc.

LG Back into Tablets, Again?

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

There are strong rumors that LG will re-enter the tablet market which it hasn't done much in since it's less than successful Optimus Pad about two years back.

HTC's First For Facebook Selling Slowly

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/14/facebook-home-app-htc-problems — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

AT&T in the USA has cut prices of the HTC First device from $99 to 99cents and may delist it. Volumes of HTC's First smartphone, which offers the Facebook app launcher 'Home', are understood to be low, with volumes of under 15k in the first month at AT&T reported.

Google Head of Chrome/Android Gives Wired Interview

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Google's Sundar Pichai, head of Chrome and Android, gave an interview to Wired magazine. He referred to 'a more synergistic answer' in future to the running of Chrome OS and Android OS; and mentioned 'education and enterprise' as major future opportunities beyond the consumer market.

Google Offers 'Open In Chrome' & New Gmail On Apple iOS

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Google is releasing new browser and app software that enable iPhone users to use Chrome browser rather than Safari browser. Gmail goes direct to Youtube and Maps without using Safari; and other apps can use an 'OpenInChromeController' API.

FT Reaches 6m TV Customers

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

In its 1Q13 results FR reported 6.0m TV customers across the group, of which 5.2m in France. This compares with DT's TV customer base of 5m, of which 2m in Germany.

Facebook Said To Be Interested In Buying Waze Social Mapping

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Facebook is reportedly looking at acquiring social mapping company Waze for up to $1bn.

Facebook Sees International Copies Of Facebook Home

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Facebook is having a slow start to its Facebook Home mobile initiative, yet other companies internationally are copying its move and introducing local market equivalents. KakaoHome on Android is one such: a similar app launcher, marketed in South Korea to KakaoTalk's 90m Instant Messaging customers.

Facebook 'Home' Has Slow Start

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/14/facebook-home-app-htc-problems — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Facebook's 'Home' app launcher on Android looks to have had a slow start, taking a month to get 1m downloads on Google Play. AT&T in the USA has cut prices of the HTC First device from $99 to 99cents and may delist it. User and reviewer reaction to Home has been weak.

DT Passes 5m TV Customers in 1Q13

http://www.telekom.com/investor-relations/publications/63082 — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

DT published its 1Q13 results. Notable were the milestones of 2m TV customers in Germany and 3m in Europe, making a total of just over 5m.

DoCoMo To Invest In Pioneer For In-Car Solutions

http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2013/0513_00.html — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo has said it intends to invest in Pioneer and form a business alliance to develop and market Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS). Using location information and user information from Pioneer's navigation devices and DoCoMo's smartphones, new consumer and corporate ITS services will be brought to market later in 2013.

China Mobile Delays 4G Tender

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

China Mobile has delayed the tender it planned for 4G networks, while it and the government consider issues such as frequency bands, new build vs 3G upgrade, and competitive issues with China Unicom and China Telecom.

Blackberry CEO Predicts '10's of Millions' Q10 Shipments

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Blackberry CEO Thorsten Heins commented after the launch of the new Q10 Qwerty smartphone in the UK that he expects volumes to be 'several tens of millions of units', including across the existing base of 70m Blackberry subscribers.

Blackberry CEO Says Tablet Market Will Decline

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Blackberry CEO Thorsten Heins has been in the media saying that the tablet market will decline and become insignificant; and that some other expression of user need will take its place, perhaps a 'large screen' connected to smartphones.

Bharti Sells 5% Stake To Qatar Royal Family

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-22393372 — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Bharti Airtel has sold a 5% stake in its company for $1.25bn to the Qatar Foundation Endowment, an investment vehicle owned by the Qatar Royal Family. This was disclosed after Bharti posted its 13th successive fall in profit for calendar 1Q13, which was also down 50% year on year.

Blackberry Faces New Competition As US Military Approves Apple, Samsung

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Blackberry's key traditional market of military users/customers will be opened to Apple's iPhone and iPad products and Samsung's 'Knox' products (which carry an extra layer of security on top of Android).

Apple Issues Bonds, Returns Cash To Investors

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324482504578454691936382274.html — Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Apple has borrowed $17bn by issuing bonds that were heavily oversubscribed, as part of its plan to return $100bn to shareholders by 2015. Borrowing money avoids repatriating overseas assets and having to pay tax on those assets.

Apple Patent Filings Concern Curved Batteries

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Apple filed patents in 2011 concerning curved or rounded battery shapes, made by heat/pressure or reductive processes.

Apple iRadio Said To Face Delays Due To Sony Negotiations

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Media reports suggest that Apple and Sony are failing to agree commercial terms for Apple to stream Sony music content on a potential new iRadio service. Apple is said to have reached agreement with Universal and Warner for music content.

Apple's Software Renewal Program Risks Delays

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Jonathan Ive is 6 months into his expanded role of software design director in addition to his established role as hardware design director. 'People close to the matter' reportedly believe that this overhaul may delay the publication of iOS7, with prototypes running 1 month late already - Apple is aiming for concept demonstration at its WDC in June. They also mention revisions to iOS email and calendar apps within the overhaul; and that software and hardware teams are working more closely than in the past.

Apple Enforcing Rule 2.25 Against App Discovery

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Media reports suggest Apple is more strongly enforcing and interpreting its developer regulation 2.25, which states that 'Apps that display Apps other than your own for purchase or promotion in a manner similar to or confusing with the App Store will be rejected'.

Apple Records 50 Billion App Downloads

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Apple is close to 50 billion app downloads in mid May 2013, after recording 35 billion in October 2012.

Apple Supplier Pegatron Increasing Workforce - Signal For iPhone mini?

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Pegatron (Taiwan) is a key Apple supplier for iPad mini, and has signalled that it will raise its 100k workforce by 40% in 2H13.

Apple May Broaden Its Phone Portfolio

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/03/apple-product-cheaper-iphone — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Speculation on Apple's iPhone development program include increasing consensus that Apple may introduce a broader/cheaper range of iPhones.

Apple To Expand Customer Care Policy

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Apple has reportedly told staff that from Fall 2013 Apple will increase the in-store repair service for customers with faulty products, including new components such as camera and display and new diagnostic tools. This will enable return of products to customers rather than replacement, and could save Apple $1bn per year. Starting in the US this program will roll out internationally.

Amazon Own Currency Extended To Kindle Fire

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Amazon has extended 'Coins' to its Kindle Fire tablet platform, offering $5 worth free to existing users. Larger volumes of coins can be bought at discounted rates.

Amazon Launches Paid Android Apps In China

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22425384 — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Amazon has launched paid-for apps in China, the first Western technology company to do this including Google. Amazon launched the Kindle web store in late 2012 but does not yet sell Kindle devices. Amazon promises to work with local developers as well as to sell existing apps. Amazon promotes the safety of its apps in contrast to local Chinese apps which often contain malware.

Amazon Said To Develop 3D Smartphone

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Amazon is said to be developing a 3D smartphone out of its Lab126 division. The device would offer 3D viewing without glasses, and use eye tracking technology.

Amazon May Launch Set Top Box

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Media reports suggest that Amazon may launch a set top box in 2013, citing 3 sources 'familiar with the project'. The project is run out of Amazon's Lab126 and staffed by industry veterans, one report says. The STB would offer Amazon's Video on Demand and Instant Video services, plus access to Amazon's shopping ecosystem.

Amazon To Launch 10 Inch Kindle Fire Tablet

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57582844-94/amazon-kindle-fire-to-go-10-inch/ — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Amazon will reportedly launch a 10 inch Kindle tablet later in 2013, following the earlier 7 inch and then 8.9 inch versions. Screen resolution is understood to be 300 pixels per inch (PPI), vs Apple's iPad 4 and its 264 PPI. One analyst believes that Amazon will upgrade all Kindle Fires to the same PPI.

Amazon Launches Cloud Photo App - Competes With Apple

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/may/03/apple-product-cheaper-iphone — Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Amazon increased its competition with Apple by launching a Cloud Drive Photos app with 5Gb of free storage. The Amazon app runs on iOS and accesses the iPhone's photo folder or 'camera roll'. New photos can be uploaded automatically if desired.

Softbank will offer Health Service via Smartphones

Mon, 13 May 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Softbank announced it plans to offer a health care service that will be delivered via smartphones and will include daily monitoring, fitness information and 24 hour counselling.

DoCoMo To Offer Bundles Of Apps, Virus Protection

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo will offer packages of around 100 apps for around 500 yen or $6 per month. The apps will include news, traffic information and more, and DoCoMo will package and create security for them. DoCoMo will also provide a virus protection service for around 600 yen or $7 per month.

DoCoMo To Invest $125m In WiFi Hotspots

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo has said that in the year ending March 2014 it will invest 10bn yen to increase the number of public WiFi hotspots by 50% to around 180,000 including in retail stores and schools; it will also encourage WiFi use in homes. DoCoMo will also work to improve automatic switching between hotspots and its mobile network.

DoCoMo Creates New 'Digital' and M2M Divisions

http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2013/0426_00.html — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo has created a 'Smart Life Business Division' which includes Mobile Retail, Content Business, Smart Life Solutions, Financial Business and Smart Life Planning departments. It has also created an M2M Division.

Yahoo Chairman Resigns

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Yahoo Chairman Fred Amoroso resigns, one year after taking the position. When he took the position he said that his tenure would last only one year.

Vodafone Launches 'Largest Marketing Campaign For 5 Years'

http://www.vodafone.com/content/index/media/news/red_europe.html — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Vodafone has launched 'Vodafone Red', a marketing campaign across 14 European countries that it describes as 'its biggest multi-country campaign in 5 years'. Red offers bundles of voice, text and data allowances in home-country and roaming, and choices of handset acquisition and renewal.

Vodafone Investors Suggest Bigger Offer From Verizon For Verizon Wireless

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Major investors in Vodafone are understood to be seeking bids by Verizon for full control of Verizon Wireless above $120bn, whereas Verizon is thought to be preparing for a bid closer to $100bn.

Verizon Bids For Clearwire's Spectrum.

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Verizon Wireless is understood to have offered $1.5bn for leased access to Clearwire's spectrum in the USA.

Twitter And Starcom Agree $200m+ Ad Deal

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Twitter and Starcom MediaVest Group have reached agreement where Starcom will place $200m or more of advertising on Twitter, in return for preferred ad positions for its clients ads.

Twitter Launches Music App

http://mashable.com/2013/04/24/twitter-music-3/ — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Twitter has launched Twitter #Music, an app for fixed and mobile devices that enables users to see which music artists and tracks are 'trending', and to listen to snippets of the music within the app or listen to entire tracks via links to Rdio and Spotify services.

TeliaSonera To Review Eurasia Contracts Via Law Firm

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

TeliaSonera has announced that it will employ law firm Norton Rose to review the agreements and transactions it has made in the Eurasia region over the last few years, following allegations of corruption in specific cases which led to the resignation of its former CEO.

TeliaSonera Partners With AppDirect For SMB Cloud Apps

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

TeliaSonera is to collaborate with AppDirect to create a one-stop-shop for Cloud Apps for its small-medium business customers.

Telefonica Partners With Push Technology For Data Distribution

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Telefonica Digital is partnering with Push Technology for a Cloud-based data distribution solution where Telefonica takes care of the network side and Push takes care of the data management side. Telefonica is positioning its capability as Infrastructure as a Service or IaaS, and targeting small as well as large businesses with the new offer.

Telefonica UK Signs Deal With BT For 4G Network Provision

http://www.techweekeurope.co.uk/news/o2-4g-network-bt-telefonica-114685 — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Telefonica and BT have signed a 10 year deal where BT will provide the transmission network for Telefonica's 4G network in the UK. BT will provide IP-based infrastructure and backhaul elements of the mobile network.

Telenor Buys DT/OTE's Bulgarian Operator Globul

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Telenor has acquired Bulgarian operator Globul from OTE for 717m euros or $935m. The deal includes Globul's telecom retailing business, Germanos Bulgaria. Globul has 4.5m subscribers and over 30% subscriber share in Bulgaria.

Telenor Acquires Serbian Bank KBC Banka

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/04/26/kbc-serbia-idUSWEB003YH20130426 — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Telenor will acquire all of the shares of KBC Banka in Serbia from Belgian bank KBC. Societe Generale Srbija will acquire KBC Banka's key assets and deposits.

SoftBank Bid For Sprint Challenged By Dish's Counter-Bid

http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57579556-94/dish-launches-$25b-bid-for-sprint/ — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Dish Network has made a counter-bid for Sprint (the third US Mobile Operator) that it says is 13% better than SofBank's existing bid. Dish has offered $17.3bn in cash and $8.2bn in stock, compared to SoftBank's total bid of $20.1bn. In December 2012 Sprint disclosed an agreement to buy all of the almost-50% share of Clearwire that it did not already own - Clearwire owns valuable spectrum across the USA. Dish mentions that it would expect Sprint to complete the Clearwire transaction if Sprint accepts Dish's offer.

Samsung May Use Hynix Memory Chips - Memory Shortages Ahead?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The head of Samsung's Mobile business has said that Samsung may in future use memory chips from Hynix (formerly Hyundai Electronics, and a Korean competitor to Samsung).

New Nokia Lumia Device Launch - 14 May 2013

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Nokia has issued invitations to a new event, referencing 'the Lumia story continues.'

Nokia Puts Dedicated Whatsapp Key On Asha Phone

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22278955 — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Nokia's Asha 210 device will carry a dedicated Whatsapp key. The 210 is targeted at emerging markets; and has a non-touch screen, requiring instead key presses to carry out navigation on the user interface. For this reason, a dedicated key will boost usage of Whatsapp.

Motorola Patents Ruled 'Low Value' By IPR Court

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

In Motorola Mobility's patent suit against Microsoft in the USA, Judge James Robart ruled that Microsoft should pay royalties of around $2m per year, rather than the multi-billion dollar settlement that Motorola (and parent Google) were seeking.

Microsoft Asks : Is Windows 8 Start Screen Causing Problems ?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

A Microsoft product manager has openly questioned whether Microsoft's emphasis on the Start Screen (where apps are displayed) has been a negative factor for users familiar with the emphasis on the Desktop (where licenced software and content are displayed) in Windows 7. He also questions the confusion that may be caused by different versions of Windows 8 (RT) and by Microsoft's own-branded version of tablet, the Surface.

Microsoft Secures Patent Deal With ZTE Over Android IPR

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22284801 — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Microsoft has reached agreements with ZTE and Foxconn over IPR it says it owns and which are involved in some aspects of the Android OS. It is also understood to be in talks with Huawei on the same issue. This is said to bring the number of OEMs with which Microsoft has Android IPR agreements to 20, according to Foss Patents.

LG Expected to Have Flexible Screen Smartphone by Year-end

http://www.forbes.com/sites/connieguglielmo/ — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

While the market has heard both Samsung and LG talk about flex screens LG has now stated it will have one by end of 2013.

Huawei Might Retire From Parts Of US Market

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Huawei might be refocusing its efforts outside the US after US government pressure from officials who insist that Huawei equipment is not used by US companies if these companies want business from them.

HTC Faces Injunction By Nokia To Stop Shipping Microphones

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Nokia has been granted a preliminary injunction in the Netherlands, requiring STM to stop supplying microphone components used by HTC in the HTC One, worldwide. Nokia asserts the high-amplitude microphones were invented and developed by Nokia.

Google May Bring Android Personalized Homepage To Chrome

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Google is understood to be preparing a version of its Android 'Google Now' for its desktop Chrome homepage. The app enables a user to assemble key personalized information and apps in a Google homepage.

Google Buys Wavii

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Google has bought Seattle-based Wavii, which markets a news summarisation app similar to Summly, which Yahoo acquired recently. Google is said to have paid around $30m for Wavii and to have beaten Apple in competing to acquire the company.

France Telecom Going for 4G to Offset Financial Struggles as a Result of Fierce Competition

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

France Telecom is making a major push to deploy 4G to up the ante on competition as the market is highly competitive for 3G services and forcing significant price battles.

Facebook Could be Losing Millions of Social Media Fans to Alternatives

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

With more choices consumers may be looking for alternatives to Facebook and data is suggesting some notable losses in some major markets like the U.S. and UK.

DT's OTE Sells Bulgarian Operator Globul To Telenor

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

OTE, the primarily Greek operator controlled by Deutsche Telekom, has sold its Bulgarian business Globul to Telenor for 717m euros or $935m. The deal includes Globul's telecom retailing business, Germanos Bulgaria. These two businesses accounted for some 9% of OTE's operating profit in 2012.

China Mobile to Make Large 4G Investments in Infrastructure

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

China Mobile will be commencing nearly $7 billion in 200,000 4G base stations in the coming year and Huawei and ZTE are expected to be the big contract winners of these 4G infrastructure investments in China as less than 20% have historically been awarded to foreign players.

Apple Reported To Launch iPhone 5S In July 2013

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

A document supposedly leaked from KDDI Japan indicates a launch date of July for the new iPhone 5S.

Apple's Q2 Earnings Report Creates Wide Reactions about Firm's Direction and Future

http://tech.fortune.cnn.com/2013/04/24/apple-earnings-analysts-reactions/ — Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Apple's latest financials prompted a major rethinking of the firm's future performance by the leading Wall St. firms who have mostly lowered pricing guidance and support the long-term stock buy-back plans.

America Movil could Face Tougher Challenge as a Result of Mexican Legislation

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

What could be good for Mexicans may be bad for America Movil as more investment and competition could be coming to this market.

Apple's "Next Big Thing" - Indications From The WWDC?

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

There is keen speculation that the upcoming Worldwide Developer Conference starting on June 10th could reveal Apple's intentions and it may not be a product, but rather a piece of software.

Amazon Former Executive Predicts Its Ad Business Will Reach $1bn In 2013

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

A former Amazon executive, David Selinger, is reported to have predicted that Amazon will generate $1bn of ad sales in 2013. Finance analysts estimate that Amazon already generates some $500m per year from ad sales.

Amazon Invests $56 Million in LivingSocial According to Released Financials

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Amazon's financial results not only show improvement, but a significant investment in a daily deal site that suggests Amazon's interests continue to expand outside traditional business models.

Amazon Launching New Online "TV" Broadcast Series

Tue, 30 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Amazon not only is distributing content, it is developing it with a new business model that could bring a significant new revenue stream along with many new and loyal viewers. Specifically, users vote on which pilot content they most like, choosing which programs are developed further. Amazon also allows users to upload new content for consideration.

Verizon Thinking about Contract-Free Direction

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Verizon's CEO, Lowell McAdam, was noted saying that the company could easily offer a no contract pricing structure if it felt demand was there, but, the implications to its revenue structure would place the leader at potential risk.

TeliaSonera May Be Denied Mozilla Certificated Status

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/16/mozilla_threatens_teliasonera/ — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Mozilla, creator of the Firefox browser, has been alerted by users that TeliaSonera may have supplied technology to governments enabling them to monitor citizens' web usage. Mozilla is investigating these allegations and in the worst case could deny TeliaSonera status of Certificated Authority, which would prevent TeliaSonera from using SSL secure connections with its Internet users - for example when making purchase payments online.

Telefonica Looking at Columbia IPO to Help Offset Debt

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

In a continuing effort to cut debt and refocus its energies Telefonica is exploring ways to capitalize on markets where it has solid investments - or exit them altogether as indicated by its Telecom Italia direction - but this will require a cooperating stock market to succeed.

Telefonica Placing Telecom Italia Stake on Market

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

After about six years Telefonica could be considering an exit from its investment in Telecom Italia SpA - but Telecom Italia is sitting on a mountain of debt that may prevent it from finding a suitor to take Telefonica's place.

Samsung Investigated For False Web Reports On HTC Products

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The Taiwanese Fair Trade Commission is reportedly investigating cases where Samsung paid students to post negative comments on HTC products and comments of praise for Samsung devices. Samsung has issued what amounts to an apology, according to a post by CNET.

Samsung Increases Smartphone Size

http://mashable.com/2013/04/08/samsung-mega/ — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Samsung continues to test the market appeal of various size displays on its smartphones, this time with a reported 6.3" screen. It appears the one size fits all strategy that Apple uses is being challenged once again - though whether this introduces more confusion for consumers may be an issue.

Samsung To Open 1,500 Store-In-Stores At Best Buy USA

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Samsung will start in April 2013 to open 500 mini-stores in Best Buys major stores across the USA, expanding across an additional 1,000 smaller Best Buy locations in time. The purpose of the initiative is to have expert Samsung staff demonstrate how Samsung products work together, as well as to expand retail presence generally. A Samsung USA VP is cited as saying: 'This effort is the last of a three-legged stool, from products to marketing and now retail'.

Nokia Tablet : Additional Indicators Of Plan

http://www.trustedreviews.com/news/nokia-tablet-rumoured-by-patent — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

A patent concerning Tablet covers and originally filed in 2011 has come to light in the USA. A report in Taiwanese media earlier claimed that Nokia was resuming work on a Windows RT Tablet after suspending the project while Microsoft launched the Surface Tablet.

DoCoMo Reveals Record Net Subscriber Losses

http://e.nikkei.com/e/fr/tnks/Nni20130405D0504A03.htm — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo has said that 1.4m subscribers left DoCoMo than joined DoCoMo in the year ending March 2013. This is some 2% of its total subscriber base, and 75% up on the number for the previous fiscal year. In the second half of the year the trend accelerated, following the release of the iPhone 5 at rival Operators KDDI and SoftBank. DoCoMo does not distribute Apple products.

Apple iCloud Synchs TV and Movies

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

A media report suggests that Apple is now synching TV and Movie content. A journalist (see link) discovered that a TV show begun on his Mac computer restarted at the correct place when he resumed viewing later on his iPad.

Apple And Yahoo Discuss Deeper Partnership

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324050304578413151401633878.html — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Media reports allege that Yahoo and Apple have been in exploratory discussions to see if the two companies can build a deeper partnership. Yahoo already provides some content that is preloaded onto Apple devices, and provides specific content including sports information that helps to power Apple's Siri voice assistant.

Speculation On Apple Hi-Res Displays

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Media reports speculate that Apple plans to introduce 'a platform capable of creating and consuming the highest available resolution video content', namely the 4k format. 4k offers resolution of 4,096-x-2,160 pixels, compared with the 1,920-x-1,080 of 1080p.

Apple Multitasking Criticized By BlackBerry- But Significance Lies With Google

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

BlackBerry CEO Thorsten Heins criticized Apple in March for having a user interface that is 'sequential' rather than 'multitasking', requiring users to go in and out of Apps rather than run them at one time. Blackberry's new OS aims to provide a richer multitasking experience, he said.

Apple's India Sales Rose Over 200% In 2012

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Company filings in India disclose that Apple's sales there rose in the year to March 2012 by 223%, giving it annual sales of over $1bn; net profit rose 431% in the same period.

America Movil Owner Carlos Slim Increases His Stake

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Carlos Slim has increased his stake in America Movil from 13.7% to 14.4%.

Nokia Extends Music App To Windows PCs & Tablets

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Nokia has launched its Nokia Music App for Windows 8 and Windows RT tablets and PCs, available from the Windows Store online.

Microsoft's Windows Live Messenger and Skype Now Merged

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Integrating Microsoft Windows IM with Skype will help the firm on multiple fronts, including product consolidation, branding, and focus - all necessary elements for a company whose critics are beginning to question its long-term relevance.

Microsoft Reported To Develop Wearable Device

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

A supplier to Microsoft is reported to have disclosed that Microsoft is developing a wearable device such as a Smart Watch.

Microsoft Will Suffer From PC Shipment Declines

http://www.macworld.co.uk/digitallifestyle/news/?newsid=3442044&olo=rss — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Media reports share estimates from research companies that PC volumes fell between 11% and 14% in 1Q13 year on year.

LG To Offer PayPal On TV

http://www.lgnewsroom.com/newsroom/contents/63406 — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

LG is to offer PayPal payment services on its Smart TVs in some markets in North America, Europe and elsewhere.

LG May Ship Flexible Displays in 2013

http://news.yahoo.com/lg-looking-ship-first-flexible-display-230032252.html — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The Korea Times reported that LG may ship flexible displays during 2013, presumably in personal devices.

LG to Expand Retail Store Presence in Emerging Markets

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

LG, taking a lesson from its Korean competitor, Samsung, is looking to expand its presence in emerging markets, such as in the Middle East, India, and Africa in order to gain a larger mindshare for its products.

KPN : Dutch Regulator Aims To Cut Mobile & Fixed Prices

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The Dutch regulator ACM has proposed to cut Mobile prices from 2.4 cents to 1.0 cents and Fixed prices from 0.37 cents to 0.11 cents, over a 3 year period starting September 2013.

KPN, Telefonica Said To Discuss Merger, Network Sharing

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Media reports suggest that Telefonica and KPN are to reopen discussions around network sharing or a merger of their businesses in Germany.

Intel and Baidu Form Relationship to Pursue Mobile Opportunities

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/intel-baidu-join-forces-scramble-132528353.html — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

While they may appear as odd bedfellows the combination of these parties does make sense - Intel trying to gain a foothold in the mobile arena and Baidu looking for a global partner to expand beyond its Chinese borders.

HTC Posts Worst Ever Quarter

http://bgr.com/2013/04/08/htc-earnings-q1-2013-423258/ — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

HTC has stated that it will post its lowest ever quarterly profit due to delays in bringing new product the HTC One to market. Unaudited earnings for 1Q13 were $3m, down 98% year on year, on sales of $1.8bn. HTC cited component shortages as a key factor in delays. The delays mean that HTC One will now launch at the same time as the Samsung S4.

HTC Launches 'HTC First' Facebook Phone

Tue, 16 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

HTC has launched (with AT&T, in the USA) the 'First', a phone with a customized Facebook skin on top of the Android OS.

Google To Open 2nd US Gigabit Internet Network In Austin Texas

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/09/google_att_announce_austin_fiber_plans/ — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Google has announced that it will open a second high-speed internet network in Austin Texas USA by mid 2014, following its first such network in Kansas City USA. Customers can choose between pure internet connection and bundled Google TV. The move was followed by an announcement from AT&T that it too would offer Gigabit connectivity in Austin.

Google Launches Blink Browsing Engine

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Google is withdrawing from WebKit, the open project to develop the WebKit browsing engine that was supported approximately 50% by Google, 25% by Apple and 25% by others. Google cites the need to move faster and to develop an engine that can more fully address the opportunities of modern multi-processing devices, modern websites and HTML5 coding. Opera has announced that it will move to using Blink as the engine for Opera browser, not WebKit.

Facebook Launches Facebook Home For Android

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-22157938 — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Facebook has launched 'Facebook Home', a 'skin' on Android that delivers a deeper and more persistant Facebook experience. Home delivers ads to the home screen, even when the phone is locked. This has been possible on Android as the Android OS is relatively open to developers. Facebook's partnership with Apple embeds Facebook deeply into the Apple OS but does not permit advertising.

DT Secures Complete MetroPCS Board Approval For Revised Merger Offer

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The board of MetroPCS has given unanimous approval for the 'best and final offer' from DT for merger of the two companies. The new offer included smaller shareholder loans, lower interest rates on loans, and an extended 'lock up' period on sales of DT shares after the merger.

Apple Reported To Move Chip Development From Samsung To TSMC

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The Korea Times is said to have reported (the link to the item is no longer live) that Apple will drop Samsung from the project to develop A7 processors, and that Apple will instead partner with TSMC from Taiwan. TSMC has been rumored to be the company behind 'Project Azalea', perhaps a project to build chip-capacity in the US to support Apple.

Softbank Looking to Float 2 Billion Dollar Bond to Fund Sprint Acquisition

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Softbank is using a bond offering to acquire Sprint Nextel - an interesting approach given that its rating from agencies such as Moody's and S&P are not that high, and likely to go lower, once the bond offering is complete.

Samsung And Mozilla Partner To Develop New Browser Engine 'Servo'

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Samsung and Mozilla have agreed to jointly develop a new browsing engine called Servo to operate on Android and ARM, based on the Rust programming language. Mozilla states that it is 'trying to prove that we can build a fast web browser with pervasive parallelism.. increasingly looking at opportunities on mobile platforms' (see link). Mozilla adds: '..these efforts are still early stage projects and there's a lot to do yet'. It states: 'Samsung has already contributed an ARM backend to Rust and the build infrastructure necessary to cross-compile to Android, along with many other improvements.'

Nokia Closes Flagship Store In China

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Nokia closed its Shanghai flagship store, once its largest store worldwide, in March 2013. It said it will concentrate more on operator and third party retail distribution.

AT&T Follows Google To Open Gigabit Internet Network In Austin Texas

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/04/09/google_att_announce_austin_fiber_plans/ — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

AT&T has announced that it will open a high-speed internet network in Austin Texas USA by mid 2014, following the announcement by Google that Google would launch its second such network in Austin to follow on the first in Kansas City.

Apple Apologizes For Consumer Policy In China

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Apple's CEO has issued an apology for some aspects of its consumer policy in China and said that Apple will revise parts of that policy, bringing to a close a public disagreement with Chinese state media over iPhone returns policy. The same media that had been so aggressive towards Apple in the previous two weeks then published approval of Apple's decision, citing it as worthy of respect compared to how other Western companies act.

America Movil Considers Integrating Brazil Businesses

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

America Movil has said that it is evaluating the integration of its Fixed and Mobile operations in Brazil, including TV. The move would unite Embratel (wireline), Telecom Americas (mobile) and Net Servicos (TV).

America Movil Ruled 'Dominant' In Appeal Case

Mon, 15 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Mexico's Federal Competition Commission has upheld a ruling that America Movil has a position of dominance in Mexico. It has issued guidelines that rules based on new access for competitors may be more suitable for addressing the dominance than rules based on pricing.

Yahoo Rumor Of Interest In Zynga Seems Unfounded

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Rumours in the media and stock market that Yahoo might consider buying Zynga have caused Zynga's share price to rise.

Yahoo Buys News App 'Summly' For $30m

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Yahoo has bought the news aggregation app Summly for a sum estimated in the media to be close to $30m. Summly was developed two years ago by a young developer now aged only 17, Nick D'Aloisio. His app will be closed by Yahoo, while he and his team of 5 will join Yahoo.

Vodafone Exit From Verizon Wireless : Speculation Grows

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100586717 — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Media speculation is growing that Vodafone and Verizon may agree terms where Vodafone sells its stake in the Verizon Wireless JV. If Vodafone does exit fully from Verizon Wireless, it would gain $135bn according to media reports and their sources. Half of this would flow to shareholders, and half for reinvestment, according to the scenarios in the media.

Twitter Acquisition May Become Twitter Music Platform

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/mar/14/twitter-launch-music-service — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Twitter's reported (though unconfirmed) acquisition of music discovery platform We Are Hunted may become a new music discovery platform branded 'Twitter Music', according to informed media sources, enabling Twitter users to follow favorite artists and songs and share recommendations, and have personalised recommendations delivered to them. In mid 2012 We Are Hunted claimed to have 1m unique visitors per month.

TeliaSonera Launches Shared Data Plans

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

TelianSonera claims to be the first operator in Europe to offer shared data plans, where a group of customers such as families can access a shared 'bucket' of data.

TeliaSonera Says Will Continue To Develop Yoigo, Spain

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

TeliaSonera has issued a statement that it will continue to develop its Yoigo operation in Spain, after earlier saying that it was seeking to find a buyer for the business.

Telenor Launches Integrated Google Play Service

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Telenor has collaborated with Google to launch a version of Google Play for its mobile subscribers where users can make payments through their Telenor mobile account and access their Telenor account by clicking on icons within Google Play (such as 'my bill', 'my contacts').

Spreadtrum Has Strategic Partnership With Orange

http://www.cellular-news.com/story/59241.php — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Spreadtrum and FT Orange have announced a strategic partnership where Orange will market low-cost Smartphones in Europe and Africa.

Sony Rumored To Introduce Media-Rich Smartphones

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Online reports suggest - unconfirmed - that Sony is planning to launch versions of its Xperia Z which package the best of Sony's capabilities in non-mobile sectors such as Camera and Music. The project, it is suggested, may be a favorite of Sony CEO Hirai-san.

SoftBank Takes Control Of GungHo Gaming Company

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

SoftBank is to raise its stake in Mobile gaming developer and publisher GungHo from 38.5% to 58.5% at a price of $265m.

Skype To Be Offered In High Definition Mobile Format

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Skype will be available in High-Definition format on Windows Phone devices running version 2.4 or later, as a result partly of being able to access hardware acceleration in the Windows Phone OS. Users will be able to access parts of the Skype app within the Windows Phone OS without having to launch Skype.

Samsung S4 Gesture Recognition - From TV?

industry contacts — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Samsung's new S4 Smartphone includes recognition of user gestures and eye movements.

Samsung Confirms Smart Watch Device

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Samsung has confirmed in the Korean press that it is developing a Smart Watch device.

Samsung To Ship Gaming Controller

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Samsung is reported to be shipping in May 2013 a new gaming controller, similar to the Xbox controller.

Samsung To Release High-End Tizen Phone In 2013

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Samsung officials have said that Samsung will launch a high-end Tizen phone by September 2013. Tizen runs HTML5 apps.

Nokia Launches Asha Premium Developer Support Program

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The Premium Asha Developer Support program offers greater incentives for developers to create apps for Nokia's proprietary Asha ecosystem, aimed at emerging markets.

Nokia Objects To Google WebM Proposals

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21922814 — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Nokia has filed an objection to Google's proposal to have Google's VP8 codec adopted as part of the emerging WebM video editing and playback standard that could in turn be adopted as part of the HTML5 standard, saying that it is not prepared to licence for this purpose any of the 64 patents and 22 patent pending applications that relate to VP8.

Microsoft To Have 18 Month Windows Phone OS Cycle

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Microsoft has said that it will cease support for Windows Phone 8.0 in July 2014, and that support for Phone OS will be for 18 months.

Microsoft To Adopt Yearly Windows OS Refreshes?

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Sources in the media claim that Microsoft is considering a shift to a new model for OS renewal for its fixed Windows OS, where the price of upgrades is substantially lower or free, and upgrades occur on a yearly cycle - more like Apple's and Google's models. The new model is said to be codenamed Windows Blue.

Huawei Not To Be Sprint Supplier, Sprint And SoftBank Promise

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Sprint and its prospective new owner SoftBank have reportedly promised US authorities that they will not use equipment from Huawei (nor, presumably, from ZTE) in order to placate US authorities that are concerned of security issues in using equipment from China.

HTC Alters its Marketing and Retires its "Quietly Brilliant" Label

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Trying to give itself a kick-start HTC is embarking on a new marketing campaign with the hope it can re-energize its brand. But, HTC may need more than a tagline update to regain its market presence.

Reports Of Google Smart Watch

http://blogs.ft.com/tech-blog/2013/03/google-smart-watch/? — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The Financial Times has received a briefing that Google is working on a wearable Smart device or watch, and that the initiative is within its Android division rather than the X Lab division where Google Glass (smart glasses or headwear) is being developed.

Google Making Deals With Owners To Stream Music

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Google is understood to be exploring and making deals with music content owners such as Warner Music, which would enable it to offer (paid) streaming music services alongside its ad-funded YouTube music and video site. Media reports suggest that Google would use these music rights on Google Play and on YouTube.

Google Chairman Schmidt Says 'No Android Chrome Merger'

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/us-google-india-idUSBRE92K0D520130321 — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Schmidt said that Chrome and Android operating systems will remain separate products but could have more overlap.

Facebook Finds Gamers Willing to Pay

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Facebook saw that the number of gamers willing to pay to play games on the social network rose by 24% over the previous year and is looking to experiment with all sorts of games to see if they can capture similar interest.

Facebook Still Looking for Options to Monetize Ads

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Facebook is now testing targeted ads in its news feeds; a place that Facebook notes is where people spend the most time. At issue is whether Facebook users will be receptive to these ads since this approach was not part of the value proposition the firm originally brought to market.

DT and Evernote Partner

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Evernote's cloud-based article clipping and note-taking app will become available for free for DT's 59 million users for one year, anticipating a large percentage continue their subscription beyond that time. Evernote is a 5 year old company with $250 million in venture funding and nearly 50 million subscribers.

DoCoMo Trials Smart Personal Assistant Tap-de-Concier

http://www.nttdocomo.co.jp/english/info/media_center/pr/2013/0322_00.html — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo is trialling a new version of its popular i-Concier personal assistant, which analyzes user behaviour more deeply to provide semi-automated guidance and assistance to the user. For example, Tap-de-Concier may serve train timetables based on analysis of a user's commuting and travel patterns over time. Tap-de-Concier is an Android app.

China Mobile Capitalizing on Wi-Fi to Offload its Network

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

While China Mobile's data revenue is quite small relative to its user base, it is leading the way in utilizing Wi-Fi to significantly offload its network.

China To Work On New Ubuntu OS Version

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

The Chinese state is working with Canonical, the company driving development of Ubuntu OS, to develop a version that is suited to Chinese users as an alternative to the main proprietary OS from the West.

Blackberry 10 Launch Receives Mixed Reviews

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

BlackBerry is receiving mixed rfeviews on its latest launch, the Z10, and the company's stock has now been downgraded, giving even more fuel to the question of whether the company can continue independently.

Bharti Airtel's Chairman Sends Email to Senior Management

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Airtel's founder and chairman sent a message to senior management telling them to support him after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) summoned him to face charges in a spectrum allocation case dating back over 10 years.

Apple To Triple Exclusive Stores In India

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

People close to Apple have said that Apple plans to increase by 3 the number of exclusive Apple stores in India to around 200 by the year 2015. Apple recently diversified its distribution strategy in India, to include independent retailers as well as the Operator channels that it previously used.

Until now, the focus on emerging market growth for Apple has been China. As other markets mature and as an alternative to China in case of difficulties there, Apple may be putting more resources into India in order to find secure future growth. Apple may also change its strategies to compete more strongly with Samsung, which has a very strong position in India, as Apple-Samsung competition becomes greater worldwide.

Apple In China: Official Criticism Raises Concern

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

A government controlled newspaper has criticised Apple's customer-care policy on its frontpage, followed by what seem to be orchestrated social-media postings by celebrities against Apple.

Apple Filed 2011 Patent For 'Wrap-Around Display'

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

In 2011 Apple filed a patent for a display that wraps around a device and makes use of supporting technology such as face recognition to determine where a user is in relation to the device, and multiple layers to create a 3-D effect.

Apple iPhone 5S Specs

http://www.t3.com/news/apple-iphone-5s-release-date-features-price-and-rumours — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Media 'guesses' around a future product though include: use of A6X chip used in iPad; bigger battery; bigger display; use of NFC; multiple colors (not only black or white); multiple sizes; 128GB storage; fingerprint scanner; super high definition screen; improved camera resolution. Time of launch is estimated to be between June and August 2013.

Apple May Use Innolux & Century Display As Display Suppliers

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2013/03/29/2003558230 — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Media reports suggest that Apple may use Taiwanese major LCD maker Innolux, and Century Display from China, for iPad and iPhone displays as alternative suppliers to its traditional supplier Samsung.

Apple 'iRadio' Reported Closer To Launch

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Media reports suggest that a new streaming radio service from Apple has moved closer to launch as negotiations over 'per track' royalty payment rates move closer to agreement between Apple and content owners. Universal and Warner are mentioned as specific content owners involved in closer agreement.

Apple Buys WifiSLAM For Indoor Mapping

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Apple has bought WifiSLAM for an amount estimated in the media to be around $20m. WifiSLAM owns technology that facilitates indoor location, navigation and mapping, using WiFi signals. WifiSLAM had been providing developers with SDKs for Android apps.

Amazon Purchasing Goodreads

Wed, 03 Apr 2013 23:00:00 GMT

Goodreads, which recommends books and connects readers in a social network-like environment with its 16 million members, will enhance Amazon's book audience.

Google Chairman Schmidt Says 'No Android Chrome Merger'.

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/21/us-google-india-idUSBRE92K0D520130321 — Fri, 22 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Chairman Schmidt said that Chrome and Android operating systems will remain separate products but could have more overlap.

Telefonica's TU Me To Be Preloaded On Alcatel, Huawei & ZTE

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Telefonica's OTT messaging app TU Me will be preloaded onto devices from Alcatel, Huawei and ZTE for distribution in Latin America during 2013, for out-of-the-box use. It can also be downloaded free from Google Play and Apple's AppStore.

Sony Financial Services - Profit Driver Needing High Credit Rating

Industry contact — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Sony Financial Services contributed $394m operating profit before eliminations of Sony's consolidated cal.4Q12 total operating profit of $676m, or 58% of the total, compared to $291m from the next most profitable division, Pictures. Imaging, Mobile and Home Entertainment made losses in the quarter.

Samsung Launches Galaxy S4

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21791024 — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Samsung launched the newest generation of its hit Smartphone product on 14 March 2013 - the Galaxy S4.

RIM / Blackberry Discloses 1m Unit Order For BB10 Devices

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Blackberry has said that a customer has placed an order for 1 million Blackberry 10 devices, causing its share price to rise 8%.

Nokia Concerned That Microsoft May Make 'Surface' Smartphone.

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Nokia has expressed its concern that strategic partner Microsoft may make its own Smartphone products, perhaps branded Surface, in a filing with SEC. It wrote: 'Microsoft may broaden its strategy to sell other mobile devices under its own brand, including smartphones.. This could lead Microsoft to focus more on their own devices and less on mobile devices of other manufacturers that operate on the Windows Phone platform, including Nokia.'

Motorola To Lose 1,200 More Workers

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Motorola Mobility is to lose 1,200 more workers or 10% of its workforce, according to Google on 8 March 2013. This is additional to the 4,000 job cuts already disclosed. An internal email has been reported as stating 'our costs are too high, we're operating in markets where we're not competitive and we're losing money'.

KPN Issues Euro 1.6bn Bonds

http://www.cnbc.com/id/100533416 — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

KPN says it has successfully issued bonds worth Euro 1.56bn or some $2bn.

Intel Moving To Contract Manufacturing; Deal With Apple?

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Intel is moving towards opening up its manufacturing facilities to make chips designed by other companies (ie, become a 'foundry') according to industry analysts and the example of its deal of this nature with Altera. There is speculation that Intel may make chips designed by Apple for Apple's mobile devices, as part of this trend.

Huawei Suggests Optical Zoom Within 1 Year

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Huawei has disclosed that it is working on integrating optical zoom lenses into Smartphones, as a means of differentiating its products.

Google Merges Android & Chrome Divisions

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The original leader of Google's Android division Andy Rubin has been reassigned to new development work in Google. The leader of Google's Chrome division Sundar Pichai has expanded his responsibility to include Android as well as Chrome.

FT & Vodafone To Co-Invest In Spanish FTTH

http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=480067 — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Vodafone and FT will together spend Euro 1 billion on constructing a fibre to the home FTTH network in Spain, each covering different parts of the country with a common specification to the network and shared access between themselves and other agreed third parties. They aim to launch services by January 2014, aiming for 6 million households passed by 2017.

DT Signs Deal With FON For WiFi Communities

http://www.telekom.com/media/consumer-products/180150 — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DT has signed a deal with FON in Germany, where 'Users who share their home WiFi with other users are granted access to millions of hotspots worldwide and free of charge'.

DoCoMo Confirms Acquisition of MAGAseek

http://www.nttdocomo.com/pr/2013/001643.html — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo confirmed it had acquired 71% of MAGAseek, online fashion retailer, in a friendly takeover worth around $20m.

DoCoMo Trials Location-Based Check-In & Discovery

http://www.nttdocomo.com/pr/2013/001632.html — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo is to trial Shoppulatto, an Android platform that lets users discover physical stores and check in, across 170 stores in Tokyo through August 2013.

China Mobile To Build Out 4G TD-LTE In 2013

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

China Mobile has announced it will spend about $6.7 billion in 2013 to build out 4G TD-LTE infrastructure to reach 500 million users across 100 cities in China.

Bharti To Launch HD Voice In Africa

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Bharti is to launch High Definition voice mobile services in Kenya, Rwanda, Malawi and Nigeria.

Bharti Raises $1bn Through Bond Issue

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Bharti has issued bonds raising $1bn.

Bharti Rumored To Sell Part Of SatTV Business

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323628804578347373790895466.html — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Media reports have it that Bharti is planning to sell up to a quarter of its Satellite TV business.

Bharti May Be Required To Stop 3G Services In Multiple Regions

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Indian government is preparing to issue notices requiring Bharti Airtel to stop 3G services in 7 regions or 'circles' in India within a period of weeks. It may also issue similar notices to Vodafone and Idea. At issue is whether the operator can provide services on other operators' frequency assignments - the government insists this is outside the terms of the licences; the operators argue that they have permission to do this.

Apple Is Key Customer For Server Farm Flash Memory

http://www.wired.com/wiredenterprise/2013/03/flash-fusion-io-apple-facebook/ — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Fusion-io,a leading-edge developer and supplier of new flash memory devices to enhance the performance of server farms, revealed in its 2012 filing that Apple generated over 25% of its sales ($98m) in that year; Facebook generated more. Fusion-io makes flash devices that allow servers to serve required data faster, more reliably and with less power consumption.

Apple and China Mobile May Collaborate On 4G Rollout In China

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

China Mobile has said that it will spend $6.7bn on 4G TD-LTE networks this year. Observers believe that motivation for this includes a deal with Apple for iPhones which would work on this network - though this remains unconfirmed.

New Mexican Regulation Could Enable Greater Competition Against America Movil

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Mexican government has promised to introduce new legislation aimed at increasing competition with the dominant players in the country's telecoms and broadcasting industries. A new agency would be created to monitor and enforce adequate competition.

Amazon Opposed In Bid To Acquire 'Book' Top Level Domains

Thu, 21 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Professional writers' organisations are opposing Amazon's bid to acquire specific general Top Level Domains (gTLD) including .book, .author and .read. They argue that if Amazon owns these domain names, it will be able to stifle competition in the book / writing industry.

Qualcomm Labs Aims To Grow Qualcomm's Market

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Qualcomm Labs is increasingly marketing Qualcomm's in-house technologies.

Qualcomm, like some other companies, is attempting to leverage intellectual property developed in-house by seeding new markets through its Labs business. This could over the long term increase demand for Qualcomm's very large chip libraries, as customers discover applications for Qualcomm products that are non-obvious without the intervention of Labs.

Lenovo Interested In M&A - If Not RIM, then Nokia?

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/03/12/blackberry_shares_lenovo_buyout/ — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Lenovo's CEO has reportedly stated that 'a deal to acquire Blackberry may make sense', repeating an interest originally raised by Lenovo's CFO, and causing Blackberry's share price to rise significantly.

BlackBerry has many sensitive government and corporate contracts in North America and globally; security, confidentiality and assured service are key factors in Blackberry's proposition. Lenovo is a Chinese company, and Western governments and corporations are suspicious of what China (including through Chinese OEMs) might do with such a proposition. Therefore, potential lost business from worried customers combined with regulatory barriers make a takeover of Blackberry by Lenovo unlikely. On the other hand Lenovo is strongly growing its Smartphone business in China and may seek a global partner to expand internationally - if not Blackberry, then perhaps another OEM. Perhaps Nokia's device business, leaving Nokia as a software and services company?

Telenor's Interest In Digital Coupons Expands With Liquid Barcodes Acquisition

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Telenor acquired Liquid Barcodes, a provider of mobile coupons in Norway. Telenor is expanding its interest in digital coupons, seeing it as a major untapped opportunity not only in its domestic Norwegian market, but throughout its European and Asian footprint as well.

Telenor is looking to leverage this acquisition for additional loyalty programs via its mobile platform, in the belief that loyalty/coupon schemes have great future potential. It views the mobile phone as a container for digital coupons that is always with an individual and therefore more likely to get mainstream use for coupon management by the consumer. Telenor is looking for tools to increase traffic and loyalty on top of a process to further monetize its installed base of devices.

What Might Be Vodafone and Verizon's Future Relationship?

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

There has been speculation regarding the long-term relationship between Vodafone and Verizon in the 45-55 JV of Verizon Wireless. For some years, Verizon did not pay dividends to Vodafone, on the grounds that the JV's debt could be paid down more quickly. The recent dividend was $8.5bn, and this (plus comments by the CEOs of each company) has renewed interest in the issue.

HTC Wins Patent Suit Against Nokia

http://www.zdnet.com/nokia-loses-key-android-patent-battle-with-htc-7000012401/ — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Nokia lost its patent battle with HTC in a German court in a case concerning Android. Nokia may continue to battle with HTC over the key patent issues concerned, though it may be a long process and one that Nokia ultimately decides to accept. Essentially the court found that HTC did not violate Nokia's patent that covers a process for using a combination of a telecom network, system and device in a broadly written patent.

Part of the issue in this case is the broadness of the patent - a broadness that the courts are increasingly unwilling to support. Such unwillingness to support is causing discomfort for those patent holders who haven't provided enough depth on the specific concepts under protection. There may be many more patent challenges to filings that attempt to be umbrella patents and protect any and all potential use cases. It is understood that over 30 other patents may depend on the outcome of this particular case.

Amazon Reported To Be On Track For 2H13 Smartphone Launch

Industry contact — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A source in the components industry has confirmed to GFP that to the best of its understanding, Amazon is still on track to launch an Amazon Smartphone in calendar 2H13.

Facebook To Launch Its Own Phone?

http://www.pocket-lint.com/news/48288/htc-opera-ul-facebook-phone — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

An online publication (see link) claims to know that Facebook is developing its own phone, made by HTC and code-named the HTC Opera UL, running on Android Jelly Bean with processors from Qualcomm. A second source from the components industry has confirmed the public report for GFP, from its own contacts.

Verizon's Reported Interest In 'Own Content'.

Tue, 12 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A lawyer in the content industry has suggested that Verizon and Redbox (Verizon's partner in streaming movies and physical DVD rental) are considering making their own content, following in the steps of Amazon and others. Redbox Instant launches in March 2013, a movie streaming service available on Verizon and other channels including Xbox 360, competing with Netflix and similar streaming services.

AT&T Rumor: May Buy Stake In RJIL India

Mon, 11 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

AT&T is in talks to acquire a 25% stake in Reliance Jio Infocomm Ltd (RJIL) for $3.5bn, according to the Times of India. RJIL was formerly Infotel Broadband before being acquired by Reliance Industries, controlled by billionaire Mukesh Ambani, and has pan-India Broadband Wireless Access (BWA) spectrum.

Intel To Do Contract Manufacturing; Impacts Apple, Samsung?

Fri, 08 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Microsoft Fined Euro 561m For Browser Non-Compliance

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-21684329 — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The European Commission has fined Microsoft Euro 561m or around $730m for failing to uphold a promise to proactively offer Windows users a choice of Internet browsers, over a 14 month period. Microsoft had undertaken to offer this choice as part of a fine-free settlement with the EC over dominance in software dating back to 2007.

LG Partners With China Mobile In 4G Devices

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

LG disclosed in February 2013 that it is partnering China Mobile to supply TD-LTE 4G Smartphones when China Mobile launches its 4G service in China, expected (it says) during 2013, and demonstrated working devices at MWC with China Mobile.

Google Glass Is Sergey Brin's 'Pet Project'

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Google co-founder Sergey Brin presented the Google Glass proposition to a technology audience. Glass has the form factor of a pair of glasses which incorporate a heads-up display, a wireless link, voice activation and some smarts. Some observers believe that Glass is Brin's favorite or 'pet' project.

Google Trials Same-Day Delivery Service

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A person familiar with the trial has disclosed to the media that Google has begun testing same-day delivery services in the San Francisco USA area. Local retailers sell products online via Google Shopping Express, and Google arranges for third parties to deliver the items.

AT&T Declares It Now Has Adequate Spectrum; Vodafone Hasn't Enough

Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

AT&T commented publicly that it has adequate spectrum for its needs for the coming 5 years. It noted that since trying to buy T-Mobile USA, when a key argument was access to more spectrum, it has managed to agree multiple smaller 'tuck-in' spectrum acquisitions with a faster-moving FCC, and has agreed a compromise over potential interference in the 2.3GHz WCS band that gives it access to 30MHz more RF.

America Movil's CMO Endorses Firefox OS.

http://www.voxxi.com/america-movil-firefox-smartphone/ — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

America Movil's CMO has endorsed the development of Firefox OS devices, believing that a sub-$100 device will enable many subscribers in Latin America to use Smartphones who today do not use them. America Movil's key competitor in Latin America, Telefonica, is also a key Firefox supporter.

Yahoo Brings New Acquisitions Total To 3.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In January 2013 Yahoo acquired snip.It, a company whose app lets users snip/copy content, organise and share it with friends. In December2012 it bought 'UrbanQ', a company whose 'Alike Nearby' mobile app makes recommendations based on a user's likes and offers targeted deals. The small staff of Alike will join Yahoo's Mobile team and the app itself will close in due course. In October 2012 Yahoo acquired Stamped, a 9-person start-up which allows users to recommend things they like to friends. In December Yahoo acquired OnTheAir, a 5 person startup that offers group video chat functionality similar to Google's 'Hangouts' and which will focus on Mobile development.

Yahoo Launches New Home Page

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Yahoo launched a new homepage on 20 February 2013, designed to function consistently across PCs, Tablets and Smartphones, and to deliver ads more effectively to users. This follows major changes to Yahoo's email and Flickr apps, since Marissa Mayer became CEO and focused on making Yahoo function better and more simply as a first step in her journey.

Vodafone CEO Confirms Multi-Screen Convergence Strategy

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB40001424127887323549204578318302013661188.html — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Vodafone CEO Vittorio Colao confirmed that Vodafone will more aggressively pursue a strategy of convergence across multiple screens, either by acquiring companies in adjacent sectors or making deals with them. He told the Wall Street Journal: 'We will provide unified services. We might end up in co-ownership situations in many places. Or we might buy. We are engaging in a lot of discussions with incumbents and with cable companies. Some of them are very open to cooperating.' He added that new rules on Telecom consolidation from the European Union was a significant factor and may become clearer around May 2013.

Verizon To Launch TV Over LTE

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Verizon will use technology from Ericsson and Qualcomm to launch 4G TV services targeted at sports stadiums, concerts and classrooms. The technology includes the evolved e-MBMS (3GPP) standard and HEVC and MPEG DASH compression standards. Telstra Australia will also trial the technology.

Twitter Launches Ads API For More-Targeted Advertising

http://www.newstatesman.com/business/business/2013/02/twitter-launches-ads-api — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Twitter has launched a new API that enables automated management of ad campaigns by its advertisers, including integration with Facebook and LinkedIn and with search and display advertising. Its partners in the launch include Adobe, Salesforce and Hootsuite.

Telenor Pakistan's Digital Diversification

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Head of Telenor Digital Rolv Erik Spilling talked about the division's plans in Pakistan with local press. He explained that Digital is a global operation that aims at 5 key areas: financial services, M2M, business software, consumer content and ecommerce. He commented that in Pakistan 'We hope to provide an ecosystem in which one can get a smartphone, obtain a loan to buy that smartphone, have it insured, and be able to consume relevant local music or content and make payments for it through banking solutions.'

Telenor Asked To Give Up Control Of Bangladesh Grameenphone

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A government commission in Bangladesh has recommended that Grameenphone's licence either be suspended immediately or that Telenor give up a 16% holding in the company, which would take Telenor's stake from 55.8% to below 40%, and raise Grameen Bank's holding to 50% from 34%, giving it control. Telenor in the past has raised the possibility of reducing its controlling stake but is not happy at being directed to do this now.

Telefonica Writes Assets Down By $2bn.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Telefonica has written down its 10% stake in Telecom Italia by Euro 949m and in its Ireland business by Euro 527m, totalling Euro 1476m or $1.9bn.

Telefonica Sells UK Broadband Unit

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/mar/01/bskyb-o2-telefonica-broadband — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Telefonica has sold its UK broadband operation to PayTV and broadband provider BskyB for �180m or $270m.

Telefonica & Sprint Launch Global Ad Alliance

http://newsroom.sprint.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=2515 — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The two operators - SprintNextel through its media business Pinsight Media+ and Telefonica through its Digital division - will collaborate to reach over 370m customers in the US, Latin America and Europe with mobile advertising including messaging, display ads and location-based ads.

Sony Announces PlayStation 4.

http://www.engadget.com/2013/02/20/sony-ps4-announcement/ — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Sony held a launch event for PlayStation 4 but this was mainly limited to explanation of concepts and did not feature an actual console.

Sony Launches Home And Mobile Hub/Server

http://presscentre.sony.eu/content/detail.aspx?ReleaseID=8340&NewsAreaId=2 — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Sony has announced the Personal Content Station, a wireless home hub for storing and sharing content across a range of Sony devices; and the Portable Wireless Server, a similar device for use also outside the home.

Sony CEO: We Must Act With Urgency

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Sony's CEO Kazuo Hirai has spoken openly of his need to make Sony approach its turnaround mission with great urgency, even though the corporate culture at Sony is not used to acting with urgency.

Sony Sells Stakes In M3 & DeNA, Offices

http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/IR/news/20130220E.pdf — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Sony is selling almost 11% of its stake in M3, a consolidated company providing online medical information, marketing and research services. Its new 49.8% stake means that M3 will be deconsolidated. The sale will net Yen 14.2bn or some $150m. Sony is also selling all its shares in online gaming company DeNA for Yen 40.2bn or $440m. Sony has also sold its second largest office in Japan for a net gain of $440m and its Manhattan office for a net gain of $770m.

Sony To Develop Firefox OS Phones

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Sony has announced plans to develop Firefox OS smartphones in collaboration with Telefonica. It stated 'Telef�nica and Sony Mobile will further strengthen their partnership and investigate emerging technologies such as the Firefox OS platform.. we continue to work with our operator partners, including Telef�nica, on a development project with an ambition to bring a product to market in 2014.'

Samsung vs Apple Lawsuits: US, Japan Updates

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323478304578334540541100744.html — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Judge Koh in the US has asked for a retrial to determine the level of damages that Samsung should pay Apple for 4 products in the high-profile patent case, while damages for 14 others remain. This means that Samsung is obliged to pay almost $600m to Apple while the remaining $400m or so is reassessed. In Japan, a court has ruled in favor of Apple in its suit against Samsung there, though damages have yet to be awarded.

Google Concern At Samsung Market Dominance

http://www.zdnet.com/google-worried-by-might-of-samsung-on-android-7000011843/ — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Wall St. Journal has reported that the head of Android at Google last year warned that Samsung's market share growth in Android Smartphones might enable it to demand greater commissions on Android Search & Ad revenues from Google.

Samsung Announces 'Samsung Wallet'

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The Samsung Wallet app lets users store and use tickets, coupons, boarding passes and membership cards. Developers can integrate third party apps with Wallet, once Samsung approves their apps.

Samsung: No Interest In Firefox OS.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Samsung has said that it does not plan to develop Mozilla Firefox based products.

Samsung Drops Bada, Promotes Tizen.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

It seems that Samsung is effectively retiring its Bada OS in favor of concentrating on Tizen as its preferred, in-house OS. Samsung aims to bring Tizen devices to market during 2013.

US Government Removes RIM Monopoly.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The U.S. Defense Department has announced that it plans to open up the use of Smartphones based on both iOS and Android within about one year. This is unwelcome news to RIM whose Blackberry products were the only sanctioned devices at the Pentagon.

NSN : Siemens To Accelerate Exit Plan?

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In April 2013, Siemens' and Nokia's 6 year shareholder agreement over NSN will expire, enabling greater freedom in what they do with their investments. One source close to Siemens and cited by the Financial Times stated that Siemens will aim to reduce its 50% holding to below 20%; and raised the possibility that a 'new' NSN could merge with Alcatel-Lucent, creating greater scale and separating into distinct Mobile and Fixed network businesses.

Nokia Not Rushing To Launch Tablets

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Nokia's CEO Stephen Elop has commented that Nokia is still watching and evaluating the Tablet market and the opportunity to differentiate with any new product. He confirmed though that Tablets are in principle a part of Nokia's future portfolio.

Nokia Partners With DreamWorks.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/02/27/nokiareal_world_search/ — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Nokia and DreamWorks are partnering to bring DreamWorks' animated characters to Nokia's phones. For example, one early project will be to develop augmented reality apps using recognized DreamWorks characters to deliver the service and content.

Nokia Launches 4 New Phones

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

At Mobile World Congress, Nokia launched 2 new Smartphones (the Lumia 720 and 520: mid and low-mid tiers) and 2 new feature phones (the 301 and 105: fully featured and basic).

Microsoft's Nook Investment: Losing Money.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Nook, the Barnes and Noble business in which Microsoft recently invested $300m (to rise to $500m) reported its 3Q13 results ending December 2012: sales down y.o.y. 26% to $316m, and EBITDA down to minus $190m from minus $83m a year ago.

Windows Phone Store: Over 130k Apps.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Microsoft has disclosed in February 2013 that it has over 130,000 apps in its Windows Phone Store.

Lenovo Appoints Yahoo Founder To Its Board

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Lenovo has made Jerry Yang a board member without voting rights to advise on expansion in the Smartphone/Tablet industry.

LG To Acquire webOS From HP.

http://techland.time.com/2013/02/25/from-hp-to-lg-webos-finds-yet-another-home/ — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

HP announced its deal with LG whereby webOS will pass to LG. LG will acquire the source code, engineering talent and related websites for webOS while HP will retain 'cloud computing assets including source code, talent, infrastructure and contracts'. LG will first use the OS in TV devices and then in other devices for the home.

America Movil Backs KPN Rights Issue

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/02/27/kpn-board-idUSL6N0BRGVG20130227 — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

America Movil owner Carlos Slim has given his backing to KPN's Euro 4bn rights issue, in return for choosing two seats on the KPN board - the CFO and COO of America Movil. AMX has now raised its holding in KPN to almost 30%.

Intel Making Progress In Mobile Technology.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Intel announced a new and more powerful Smartphone chipset in February 2013, called the Clover Trail+ and which follows on its existing Medfield Smartphone solution and Clover Trail Tablet solution.

Huawei R&D Force: 70k Out of 150k Total.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Huawei is reported to have an R&D force of 70,000 people out of a total workforce of 150,000.

FT Trials New Distribution Model.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

FT is trialing a model of distribution in markets where it has no network presence, selling phones and accessories online and via local distributors, and pushing content such as music through its website. FT's head of strategy commented: 'We can get extra sales and, in some cases, test the field before we decide to go in for an acquisition or to deploy as a full-blown carrier.'

Facebook Acquires Atlas From Microsoft.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Facebook has paid an undisclosed amount to Microsoft for Ad company Atlas, acquired by Microsoft as part of its aQuantive $6.2bn purchase that was later totally written down.

DT Launches Joyn RCS.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DT has launched Joyn Rich Communication Services in Germany, alongside Vodafone and Telefonica, after delays were reported in its rollout for technical reasons.

DoCoMo Raises M&A Potential.

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo has expressed interest in making acquisitions, outside the mature and saturated Japan market.

AT&T To Provide GM Cars With 4G

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

AT&T has won a major contract from General Motors, replacing Verizon Wireless's 16 year tenure, and which will see it provide navigation, internet access, entertainment and remote diagnostic services over 4G LTE.

Apple CEO Talks Of M&A Strategy

Tue, 05 Mar 2013 00:00:00 GMT

At an investor conference Apple's CEO Tim Cook outlined some aspects of Apple's M&A strategy.

Google Announces Pixel Hi-End Chrome-OS Laptop

http://www.wired.com/reviews/2013/02/google-chromebook-pixel/all/ — Wed, 27 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Google is bringing to market a high-end laptop running the Chrome OS and accessing web applications, some of which can be used offline. Starting price is $1,300. It offers a hi-resolution screen is positioned at the high-end of laptop/notebook devices. It uses WiFi to access the internet or an optional 4G connection in the USA. Google offers 1 Terabyte of free Google Drive storage for 3 years as part of the offer.

Vodafone May Be Considering Acquisition Of Kabel Deutschland

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Vodafone is said to be considering an offer for Kabel Deutschland, though is thought not to have yet made a formal offer. Kabel Deutschland is a major cable TV and internet provider in Germany, spun off from DT/Deutsche Bundespost in 1999.

Verizon Identifies Apps that Drain The Battery and Use Up Data Allotments

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Verizon is publishing rankings showing how apps consume batteries, use up data plans and affect security on Smartphones.

TeliaSonera CEO Resigns Following Uzbekistan Investigation

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887323701904578277491169643324.html — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

CEO Lars Nyberg has resigned as he promised he would do in case of a critical outcome to the investigation into TeliaSonera's Uzbekistan investments including the involvement of the Uzbekistan President's daughter. Not only Lars Nyberg but virtually the entire board of TeliaSonera is expected to quit, under pressure from main shareholders, the states of Sweden and Finland. The Swedish government's Finance minister stated that the state had been too removed from TeliaSonera's operations and would take a more active interest in future.

China Mobile 3G Device Contracts Favor Spreadtrum

http://www.chinascopefinancial.com/news/post/22564.html — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

China Mobile has finalized a list of 9 TD-SCDMA device vendors, all of them from China and including ZTE and Lenovo, for its 4.7m unit order due by March 2013.

Samsung Launches Strategy & Innovation Center, Catalyst Fund

http://techcrunch.com/2013/02/04/samsung-strategy-and-innovation-center/ — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Samsung has announced its SSIC or Strategy & Innovation Center in Silicon Valley USA; and a $100m Samsung Catalyst Fund, aimed initially at components and subsystem development. This is in addition to its $1bn Venture Americas Fund and existing R&D centers.

Co-Founder Balsillie Sells Entire Stake in RIM

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Co-founder Jim Balsillie has sold his entire stake in Blackberry.

Nokia Announces Asha 310, Samsung Announces Rex Series

http://asia.cnet.com/nokia-announces-affordable-asha-310-62220477.htm — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Nokia has announced a new Asha dual-SIM Nokia-OS product, the 310, to sell at around $100. At the same time, Samsung has announced the Rex series, also low cost and dual SIM, running on Java.

Patents Acquired from Motorola Used by Google to Sue BT in a Countersuit

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Google is moving on the offensive to sue BT over a series of patents it claims violates its IP gained in its expensive Motorola acquisition. The suit appears to be initiated after BT sued Google in 2011 over several patents and relating to areas including Google Maps, Gmail, and the Android OS itself.

KPN Proposes Rights Issue To Address Euro 12bn Debt

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Shares in KPN fell 20% when it posted its 4Q12 results and disclosed plans to issue Euro 4bn ($5.4bn) in new shares in order to cut debt. KPN has cut dividends for 2012 from 90 Euro-cents to 35 cents to 12 cents, and said that its dividends in 2013 will be only 3 cents. It has announced that 5,000 employees will be made redundant.

Intel Says It Will Launch TV Box And Service

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Intel's Head of Media Erik Huggers disclosed at a public conference that Intel plans to launch an IPTV service in 2013, including a set top box and smaller bundles of TV content both live and on-demand. Intel will launch a new brand to promote the service, which will be positioned around quality rather than low price.

HTC Reports Weak 4Q12 Results

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

HTC's revenues were down 41% year on year in 4Q12, and its operating margin was 1%.

Google Buys Channel Intelligence

http://searchengineland.com/google-buys-channel-advisor-for-125-million-147615 — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Google has bought retail feed management provider Channel Intelligence for $125m.

Google Signs Deal With French Publishing World

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Google's Chairman Eric Schmidt and France's President Francois Hollande have signed an agreement where they will collaborate in bringing French publishing more online. Schmidt commented: "First, Google has agreed to create a ?60m digital publishing innovation fund to help support transformative digital publishing initiatives for French readers. Second, Google will deepen our partnership with French publishers to help increase their online revenues using our advertising technology."

Google YouTube To Launch UK TV On Freesat In March 2013

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Freesat is a free-to-view satellite TV service in the UK, backed by national broadcasters BBC and ITV. Users will be able to access YouTube via the 'Freetime' premium set top box, without having to manually connect a TV or PC via the internet.

FT Impacted By Traffic From Roaming Partner, Free

http://www.telecoms.com/40031/orange-france-loses-patience-with-free-mobile/ — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Informed observers have commented that '97% of phone calls made by Free Mobile's customers are on the FT Orange network'. FT provides network coverage for much of Free's service.

FT Is Receiving Payments From Google

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

FT's CEO has disclosed that 'There are financial flows between Google and Orange, as well as other operators, in particular Deutsche Telekom' (translation, from Les Echoes).

FT Opens 4G In Paris

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

FT Orange opened its 4G service in Paris, France, on 28 January, planning to roll out to 15 other cities in France by April 2013, and to cover all Paris by the end of 2013. It began 4G service in Marseille in 2012.

FT sells its stake in Sonaecom

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

FT has agreed to sell its 20% stake in Sonaecom (Portugal) to majority shareholder Sonae.

Facebook Gains Momentum In Mobile

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Facebook announced in its 4Q12 results that its daily mobile users have for the first time outnumbered daily fixed users; and that 23% of its ad revenues came from Mobile, up from 14% in 3Q12.

DT Delays Joyn (RCS) Launch

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DT had originally set 1 October 2012 for its launch of Joyn, the brand name of the GSMA's Rich Communications Service RCS proposition. Due to technical issues with the existing trial, launch has been delayed until some future date, to be announced.

DT Provides Cable Services To Homes

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DT has started its new cable TV service, serving some 20,000 homes with TV and high-speed internet connection, and with plans to grow this to 170k as part of the same scheme.

DoCoMo To Establish Venture Fund & Incubation Program

http://www.nttdocomo.com/pr/2013/001628.html — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo has said it will establish a 10bn Yen ($109m) venture fund, forming a related operating company alongside it, with the aim of accelerating innovation for Smart devices. It will also start an incubation program to support startup companies, including by investing in startup specialist 500 Startups in California. It will include a focus on the 8 sectors of its strategic plan: media/content, finance/payments, commerce, medical/healthcare, machine-to-machine, aggregation/platforms, environment/ecology and security/safety.

China Mobile Said To Have Talked With Clearwire On Possible Investment

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Two investment analysts have said that China Mobile was one of the 8 parties that Clearwire has talked to in the last 2 years regarding various kinds of collaboration or investment deals. Clearwire is currently recommending Sprint as its preferred investment partner, to gain control of its valuable 4G spectrum.

China Mobile Finalizes 3G Device Contracts

http://www.chinascopefinancial.com/news/post/22564.html — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

China Mobile has finalized a list of 9 TD-SCDMA device vendors, all of them from China and including ZTE and Lenovo, for its 4.7m unit order due by March 2013.

China Mobile Posts Double 3G Subscriber Growth

Wed, 20 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

China Mobile reported 3G subscriber growth of 5.5m in December 2012, compared with normal figures around 3m.

China Mobile Extends 4G Trials To New Area

Internet — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

China Mobile has expanded commercial trials of its 4G TDD network to Hangzhou in Zhejian province, providing a limited set of data services, bringing the number of cities with such trials to 13.

Bharti Airtel To Invite Other Operators To Invest In Managed Services Company

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Airtel is seeking to repeat its earlier Indus Towers initiative, which provided Mobile Infrastructure services on a shared basis, in fixed telephony and broadband.

Bharti Airtel Restructures India Business

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Airtel's 3 hub structure in India will be reorganised into 8 new divisions.

AT&T U-Verse Live TV Rebrands To AT&T Mobile TV

http://www.worldtvpc.com/blog/att-rebrand-u-verse-live-tv-to-mobile-tv/ — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

U-Verse Live was previously the brand for AT&T's mobile TV offering. It is now changing to Mobile TV, and comes with changes such as inclusive Operator billing, improved quality over 4G networks, and new prices including add-on options.

Apple May Face Important Antitrust Case

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The US government is developing an antitrust case in which the sole remaining defendant is Apple; a trial date of 3 June may be set. Apple may be accused of arranging with publishers, all of whom have settled with the government, that e-book prices would remain higher than those at Amazon.

Lawsuit Challenges Apple's Use Of Cash Mountain

http://business.financialpost.com/2013/02/13/apple-inc-shareholder/ — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

US hedge fund Greenlight is suing Apple for not returning more of its cash mountain to shareholders. Apple is responding in terms of 'if you don't like our stock, please sell it'.

Apple Pays $8bn To Developers

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Apple has disclosed that it has paid a total of $8bn to app developers, up from $2.5bn in July 2011. Media sources estimate the run rate now to be $1bn per month. At a 30% commission rate, that would make Apple's App business worth $5.1bn a year.

Apple, Samsung Watches Rumored

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2013/feb/08/apple-watch — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A former Apple employee is involved in rumors that Apple is developing an i-Watch: a smart watch. Images on the Internet of a Samsung prototype are also being interpreted as signs that Samsung is developing a smart watch.

Loewe TV Share Price Jumps On Apple Bid Rumors

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Luxury German TV maker Loewe's share price rose as much as 43% to Euro 3.93 on rumors that Apple is interested in bidding as much as 4 Euros. Sharp owns some 28% of Loewe.

America Movil May Demand Change In KPN Management

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

AMX is, like all investors in Dutch carrier KPN, being offered the chance to participate in a Euro 4bn rights offering. AMX holds a 27% share in KPN. It is reported to be demanding management changes in return for any further investment, including replacement of KPN's CEO and a seat for AMX on the board.

Amazon Extends Redshift Data-Warehousing Service Internationally

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Redshift is part of Amazon Web Services AWS and will be rolled out internationally after a more limited local launch in November 2012. It offers data warehousing services at around one twentieth the cost of on-premises solutions.

Amazon and Ford Agree In-Car Access To Amazon Cloud Player

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Amazon Cloud Player (delivering music to users) can be wireless connected to Ford cars running the SYNC AppLink.

Amazon To Introduce Its Own Virtual Currency

Tue, 19 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Amazon plans to introduce Amazon Coins, its own virtual currency for games, in-app purchases and apps. Amazon will create millions of dollars worth of coins to kick-start the process.

Twitter Records 200m Monthly Active Users.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/dec/18/twitter-users-pass-200-million — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

There are reports in the media of Twitter's Monthly Active Users or MAUs. Figures from Twitter itself are lower - it noted 200m MAUs in December 2012. This is a 43% increase compared to 160m in 1Q12. It compares to Facebook's 1,056m MAUs in December 2012, up 17% from 901m in the same period.

Twitter Launches Vine Micro-Video App.

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Twitter has launched its Vine app, enabling users to embed their own videos of up to 6 seconds on a repeating loop.

UK Court Rules On Turkcell Ownership

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A UK court has ruled that the Turkish billionaire Mr Karamehmet should have the right to repay a $1.4bn loan to Alfa - Russian shareholder in Turkcell - on which he previously defaulted, in order to regain control of his 14% holding in Turkcell, providing that interests and costs are added. The court has yet to determine the size of interests and costs.

Sony Increases Quality Of Music Unlimited To 320kbps

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Sony is increasing the bitrate of its streaming music service Music Unlimited from 48 to 320kbps for paid users.

Softbank To Acquire Japan Mobile Operator eAccess, Sell Shares.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10000872396390444138104578030022601099246.html — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The merged business will add 4m subscribers to Softbank and create a subscriber base of 34 million, close to KDDI's 35 million. After the agreement Softbank announced an agreement to issue new shares and reduce its holding to 33.29%; among the 11 acquiring companies is a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics.

Skype Petitioned To Disclose Its Surveillance Policy

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

An open letter from major interested parties has been sent to Skype, asking it to make clear its government surveillance policies and practices.

Skype To Replace Windows Live Messenger.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-20222998 — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Microsoft will replace its Windows Live Messenger service with Skype's instant messaging service from March 15, except in China. WLM began as MSN Messenger in 1999.

Judge rules that Apple vs Samsung Outcome Should Stand

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21256755 — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Judge Lucy Koh in California has ruled that a retrial of the Apple-Samsung IPR case 'will not serve justice' and should not be allowed; and that Samsung did not wilfully infringe Apple's patents, thereby denying Apple the chance to triple the $1bn damages. In short, the $1bn damages stand and will have to be paid by Samsung, in full or possibly reduced by judge Koh. In other developments, Samsung has said it will cease its patent cases in Europe against Apple ; and Apple has been denied injunctions to stop Samsung sales in the USA.

Lenovo CFO Discusses Possible Acquisition / Partnership With RIM

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Lenovo's CFO talked publicly of Lenovo's scrutiny of RIM as a possible acquisition or strategic partner, as a route to grow in Mobile and beyond its core PC market. Lenovo has made multiple acquisitions in the last 2 years, to sustain its growth in the mature PC market.

KPN To Make Workforce Reductions

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2013/01/kpn_says_consumer_mobile_opera.php — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

KPN is reported to have emailed its employees outlining the need for significant workforce reductions, including the reported statement 'Compared with our competitors, our operational costs are too high and the speed at which we adapt to and anticipate the market is too low.. We therefore find ourselves as KPN and as [the] consumer mobile [division] at a critical stage.'

EU Considers Anti-trust Action Against Google

http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-01/11/google-antitrust — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In the USA Google has avoided anti-trust actions against it. Yet the EU has indicated that it may pursue Google for abusing its dominant position in search and prioritising search results towards its own properties.

FT Orange Raises Its Stake In Orange Kenya To 60%.

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

France Telecom now has a 60 percent stake in Orange Kenya after it purchased the 11% shares owned by Alcazar Capital.

Facebook Closes Access To Its Social Graph For Competitors

http://techcrunch.com/2013/01/24/my-precious-social-graph/ — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Facebook is implementing its new policy of preventing apps it considers to be 'competitive' from accessing its social graph information. In simple terms this can mean preventing an app for linking with a user's Facebook friends. Facebook has recently applied this policy to Twitter Vine, Moxer (messaging app) and Yandex's Wonder (mobile social search).

Facebook CEO Indicates Origins Of Rift With Google - 'Remove Old Content'.

Fri, 01 Feb 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg commented in a press conference that the origins of Facebook's increasing distance from and competition with Google lie in Google's refusal to remove content from its search which captured Facebook content removed by Facebook users. Facebook wanted to ensure that user-content, once removed by the user, would be removed instantly across the web as far as possible.

Blackberry To Sell Z10 From 5 February 2013

http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/story/2013/01/29/business-rim-blackberry.html — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The newly named Blackberry (formerly RIM) is to start selling its new QNX OS based Blackberry 10 smartphones first in Canada from 5 February 2013. First model will be the Z10 (touchscreen) followed later by the Q10 (keypad version). Distribution in other countries including the USA will follow.

Nokia To Sell HQ Building As Cash Reserves Fall

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Nokia is to sell for $220m and lease back its Finland HQ.

Nokia Launches Music+

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2414750,00.asp — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Nokia is upgrading its Mix Nokia streaming radio music service to 'Music+', allowing unlimited 'track skipping', unlimited track downloads, higher quality and multi-device play, for $3.99 per month.

Google Says May Expand Google Fiber Beyond Kansas City.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Google CFO has commented that Google is looking into expanding its 1Gbps fiber network to cities other than Kansas City. He added that Kansas City 'is the perfect place to debug' the venture.

Motorola Impacts Google's Results In 4Q12 As Google Aims To Restore Profit.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Losses including exceptional items due to restructuring and write-downs made major impacts on Google's final quarter results in 2012. The sale of Motorola's set top box business in December 2012 also impacted Google's results. Yet Google's CFO commented that Google 'isn't in the business of losing money with Motorola'; and that the restructuring was in early stages, would need another 12 months, and would eventually center around a few smartphone products.

Microsoft Reported To Consider Joining Dell Buy-Out.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Microsoft is said to be considering an investment of up to $3bn in the buyout of PC maker Dell. The investment may take the form of a loan rather than an equity stake, it is said.

LG Electronics Reports Loss After European Fine.

http://uk.news.yahoo.com/lg-posts-loss-price-fix-fine-065729228.html — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

LGE reported its first loss in a year after receiving a fine of $660m from the European Union for price-fixing in cathode ray tubes up until 2006. LGE said it would appeal the fine.

KPN Agrees Deal With Fon For Hotspot WiFi Access

http://www.telecoms.com/77492/kpn-signs-wifi-deal-with-fon/ — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

KPN has agreed with Fon for access worldwide to Fon's 7 million WiFi hotspots and to its planned '50 million hotspots within 2 years'. KPN notes that the Fon deal is part of its 'integrated fixed and mobile strategy'.

HTC May Release Windows 8 RT Tablets

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

HTC is reportedly to release Windows 8 RT tablets (7 inch, 12 inch), but not to plan Windows 8 versions due to high costs. Microsoft is understood to have originally excluded HTC from its vendor list for Windows 8 tablets, but later to have changed its policy.

HTC To Hold Major Event On 19 February 2013.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

There is speculation that the event may launch HTC's new super-phone, the 'M7'.

FT Orange Discloses Orange Austria Sale Complete.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

FT Orange has said that it has completed the sale of its 35% stake in Orange Austria, to Hutchison 3G Austria.

FT Raises Stake In Dailymotion To 100%.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

FT Orange has increased its holding in video sharing portal Dailymotion from 49% to 100% as per its options. FT is reportedly considering options to sell stakes in Dailymotion, now that it has complete ownership and control. Dailymotion is also said to be planning a production studio in Paris, France, enabling professionals, advertisers and consumers to make video content. Dailymotion is said to be in the top 50 most visited sites globally.

Facebook's Instagram Reports 90m Monthly Active Users

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

This is in spite of negative user reaction to new terms and conditions from Instagram permitting third party use of users' photos.

Facebook Tests Free-Calling Functionality In Its iPhone Messenger App

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Facebook has begun testing VoIP calling within its iPhone Messenger App, allowing Facebook Messenger users on iPhone to make free calls to Facebook friends using WiFi or Mobile Data. As yet, there is no functionality to call off-Facebook-network.

DT Considers Stake In WiFi Operator Fon.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DT is reported to be in advanced discussions with WiFi hotspot provider Fon to acquire a stake in Fon.

DT Considering Sale Of 'Scout' Digital Ad Business.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DT said in December 2012 that is it considering an IPO for its Scout Digital Ad business; and now says that it will consider divesting the business. Publishing company Axel Springer's CEO has said that his company would seriously consider buying Scout.

DoCoMo To Release Low-Cost 2G Tablet

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo plans to release a Huawei-made low-cost tablet selling for $110 (10,000 Yen) in Japan.

DoCoMo Bids For Fashion Retailer MAGASeek.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo continues its expansion into adjacent sectors with a friendly offer for MAGASeek, online fashion goods retailer, in which owner Itochu would retain a 25% stake, and making MAGASeek a fully consolidated business within DoCoMo. The move would expand DoCoMo's 'dshopping' e-commerce activity which currently offers only foodstuffs, following its investment in Radishboya organic foods business.

China Mobile Considering International Expansion More Seriously.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

China Mobile is reportedly employing consultancies to evaluate acquisition opportunities in Brazil, Germany, North Korea, Portugal and South Africa. It already has one operation in Pakistan, and is trying to secure a stake in Taiwan operator Fareastone, against resistance from the Taiwanese government.

Bharti To Bid For Myanmar Licence.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Bharti Airtel has filed an expression of interest with the Myanmar regulator to acquire a licence in the country - Telenor and Axiata (Malaysia) have also expressed interest.

AT&T To Buy Alltel For $780m.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

If approved by regulators, AT&T will buy Alltel (mobile brand, owned by ATNI) and its 585,000 subscribers, spectrum and retail stores, for $780m.

Apple CEO Remains Unclear On Apple TV.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

One input for the record: CEO Tim Cook reiterated the response 'we can continue to pull the string and see where it leads us' when asked about his plans for Apple TV during Apple's quarterly results analyst meeting.

Apple Updates Its TV Software, Includes Bluetooth Keyboard Connectivity.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The latest release of Apple TV software 5.2 includes enhancements to iTunes and the first 'official' software to make use of Bluetooth on the TV platform, providing connectivity to keyboards so that users can use a keyboard with the TV.

America Movil to Buy CIE Advertising Division.

http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=478887 — Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

AmericaMovil has agreed to buy the ad division of CIE, Mexico. CIE is the largest player in the live entertainment sector in Mexico.

Amazon Reportedly In M&A Talks With Texas Instruments.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Media reports dating back to late 2012 mention that Amazon has been talking with TI concerning the acquisition of TI's OMAP mobile System on Chip business, after TI indicated it would be exiting that business.

Amazon Acquires Ivona Software, Voice Recognition Company.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Amazon commented:"Ivona is already instrumental in helping us deliver excellent accessibility features on Kindle Fire, including Text-to-Speech, Voice Guide and Explore by Touch."

Amazon To Bring (More) Own Content To Market.

Thu, 31 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Amazon will reportedly bring 6 in-house produced comedy movies/episodes to market during 2013, aiming to be competitive with 'Hollywood grade' content.

Intel To Merge With NVIDIA?

Mon, 28 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Rumors are circulating in the media that Intel is in talks with chip-maker NVIDIA about a merger, which would see Nvidia's CEO Jen-Hsun Hwang become CEO of the combined entity, following the planned retirement of Intel's long-time CEO Paul Otellini in May 2013.

Yahoo Stock Rising On Prospect Of Alibaba IPO and New Competition With Amazon

ttp://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/sep/19/yahoo-efinance — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Yahoo is poised to enter a new phase of its corporate development, after conditions improved for a partial IPO of Alibaba (China) in which it holds a 23% stake. In 2012, it sold 40% of its then 40% holding, raising $7.6bn, under the new leadership of ex-Google manager Marissa Mayer.

First Launch Of New Yahoo Product Under New CEO Mayer - Mobile & Fixed Email

internet — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Yahoo has begun to roll out the new version of its email solution across Smartphones, Tablets and PCs.

Vodafone Subject To Speculation On Exit From Verizon Wireless

http://www.guardian.co.uk/business/blog/2013/jan/08/vodafone-sell-verizon-stake — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Vodafone has been in the media after Verizon's CEO commented that Verizon would be able to digest a takeover of Vodafone's 45% share of Verizon Wireless if needed.

Twitter May Prepare For IPO In 2014

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Twitter has been valued at over $11bn by a company specializing in pre-IPO valuations, Greencrest. Twitter's CEO declines to comment on such speculation publicly, but industry watchers are noting the increase in users, the improvement in monetization and some of the changes in senior management, and concluding that an IPO may be planned for 2014. Apple is suggested in the media as a potential buyer of Twitter, on the basis that Apple is relatively weak in Internet Services and would acquire deep insight and capability in this area by acquiring Twitter - but there is no hard evidence for such a development.

TeliaSonera Reported To Put Sale of Yoigo (Spain) On Hold

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

A media report suggests that TeliaSonera will delay the sale of its Yoigo operation in Spain until beyond 2013 after potential bidders would not meet its demanded sale price, and as issues around the return of its 3G licence if an acquiring company already possessed a 3G licence.

Telenor May Make Formal Application For New Myanmar Mobile Licence

http://www.scandasia.com/viewNews.php?coun_code=no&news_id=11819 — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Telenor's open expression of interest in acquiring a licence in Myanmar has been followed by a faster than expected deregulation of telecoms there, with the regulator asking for formal expressions of interest by 25 January 2013, and with the first 2 of 4 licences possible awarded by mid 2013.

Telefonica Continues Its Debt Reduction Program

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Telefonica announced that its plans to restore its balance sheet to good health are on track but did not disclose specific details. It has recently floated Telefonica Deutschland, raising $2bn; agreed the sale of its call center business Atento for $1.3bn; is examining whether to float some 15% of its Latin America business; is under offer for its Czech business; sold the remaining 3% share of equipment business Amper; yet has refuted suggestions that it may float part of its O2 UK business.

Telefonica Partners With Bango For Standardized Mobile Payment Solution

http://www.totaltele.com/view.aspx?ID=478839 — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Telefonica will combine Bango's payment platform with Telefonica's BlueVia Payment API, to roll out a standardized bill-to-carrier in-app payment solution for the apps developed by third party developers and running on the BlueVia platform cross Telefonica's properties worldwide. Subscribers will be able to 'click to buy' without adding additional information within apps and be billed directly by Telefonica.

Sony Aims For #3 Smartphone Position

Internet — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Sony's CEO has stated that its Mobile business will focus on high-end Android Smartphones and will become a profit driver for the entire company.

Microsoft Integrates Skype With Outlook - Xbox-Live Next?

http://blogs.skype.com/en/2013/01/skype_61_for_windows_desktop_w.html — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The latest version of Skype (6.1) is integrated with Microsoft's Outlook platform, so that users of Outlook can instant-message contacts using Skype, place a Skype call to contacts, see the Skype status of contacts within Outlook, and perform many more cross-platform operations.

Samsung To Release Tizen Phones in 2013

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Samsung reportedly announced that "We plan to release new, competitive Tizen devices within this year and will keep expanding the line-up depending on market conditions".

RIM Stock Is Recovering Somewhat After Approval From VISA

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/rim-receives-approval-visa-mobile-123000827.html — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

RIM's new mobile payments technology (Secure Element Manager SEM) has been approved by VISA for use with its credit cards. RIM is planning to licence the technology worldwide to makers of devices using NFC (near field) payment, as part of its strategy to review opportunities to licence its platforms and technology to third parties.

KPN Stock Falls Sharply After KPN Purchases 4G Spectrum In Netherlands & Cuts Dividends

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

After KPN paid $1.8bn for 4G spectrum in the Netherlands it announced it would cut dividends in 2012 and 2013. Previously KPN experienced financial difficulties after paying over $14bn for 3G spectrum in NL, UK and Germany - hence, investors are not only disappointed in dividend cuts but are nervous of possibly difficult financial burdens at KPN.

KPN Sells Its Spain MVNO Operation To Orange Spain

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

KPN has reached agreement with Orange Spain to sell its 380,000 customer MVNO Spain operation, using the Simyo brand. TeliaSonera is in the process of seeking a buyer for its MNO Yoigo operation in Spain, as yet without a conclusion.

HTC Meets With China Mobile Delegation

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

China Mobile CEO visited Taiwan to meet with leading electronics companies and promote business in China in the field of TD-LTE.

Google Reported To Take $50m 10% Stake in Vevo (Music Video Site).

http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/2013/jan/17/youtube-google-stake-vevo — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Vevo has had a 3 year agreement with Google-owned YouTube to distribute music video clips. Now, Google is reportedly strengthening the relationship with a roughly 10% stake in Vevo. Vevo is a JV involving Sony Music Entertainment and Universal Music Group. EMI licences content to the group, alongside Sony and Universal. Vevo and Google share ad revenues from the business.

FT May Enter New Africa Markets

Internet — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

FT is reported to be planning entry to new markets in Africa, including Benin, Burkina Faso, Mauritania and Togo, and secure network management contracts in other countries, after making acquisitions in the last two years in Morocco, Tunisia and Iraq. It is also reported to have agreed with Chinese search giant Baidu for Baidu to develop a low-tier mobile browser, with low data-rate needs specifically for use in Africa where mobile connectivity still has low bandwidth.

Facebook Launches 'Graph Search' - Searches Facebook Content

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Facebook has launched its so-called Graph Search function, which searches Facebook content for such matches as People, Places, Interests or Photos, and using natural language (ie, the type of language people use in everyday conversation). The products is 'in early beta testing'. Each search relates to the person making the search, to their relationships with their friends and to their interests. For example, a search on 'photos of my friends taken at National Parks' would generate a result specific to the searcher. Filters can be added to the search such as 'who are male', narrowing the results further.

3 Key Executives Leaving DT Including Head Of TV and Entertainment

http://www.broadcastnow.co.uk/osullivan-leaves-deutsche-telekom/5050207.article — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In late 2012 DT's VP of Global TV and Entertainment Gerry O'Sullivan resigned, following the departure of board member and head of Technology and Innovation Ed Kozel and the announced retirement of CEO Rene Obermann in 2013.

DoCoMo To Support Tizen OS From Samsung and Intel

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo is reported to be releasing a Tizen-OS Smartphone in 2013, according to a Japanese news source.

DoCoMo Wishes To Distribute The iPhone - Again

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

DoCoMo's president has said that the company wishes to reopen negotiations with Apple on distribution of the iPhone, after talks on this subject failed in 2012.

China Mobile Meets Apple CEO

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424127887324081704578233290100958614.html — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

China Mobile met with Apple's CEO to discuss distribution of the iPhone. Media reports suggest that the two sides could not agree terms, but also that China Mobile may compromise and agree to Apple's demands in revenue sharing in order to reduce the loss of subscribers to its competitors China Unicom and China Telecom, both of whom offer the iPhone.

China Mobile To Offer Wholesale Services in China

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/indepth/2013-01/15/c_132104683.htm — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

The China government has proposed to relax regulations and permit the resale of telecoms services from the top three operators China Mobile, China Unicom and China Telecom, enabling third party Value Added Services and MVNO operations in China for the first time.

Bharti Key Executives Leaving

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Several key executives at Bharti have left or are reported to be leaving at this time, including IT director, head of Network Operations, CEO of India & S. Asia, and Operations Director S. India/Sri Lanka.

AT&T Reported To Be Exploring M&A In Europe

http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/01/17/us-kpn-att-idUSBRE90G0F720130117 — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

AT&T is reportedly considering options to make acquisitions outside the USA, specifically in Europe.

Apple Strategy With Retina Display

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Apple has featured in the media with reports that the iPad mini will have a 'retina' display in future versions.

Apple iPhone Mini

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

In the media at this time are multiple reports of a future lower-tier iPhone version, referred to by GFP as the 'iPhone Mini'.

Apple Stock Weakening On Rumors Of Reduced Demand

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Apple stock has been falling at this time due to rumors that it has reduced future display component orders with suppliers, suggesting reduced demand for the iPhone.

Amazon Prepares To Grow Its Advertising Business

Fri, 25 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT

Amazon is reported to have built an in-house platform that matches ads with customers' shopping habits and preferences.

KDDI Sees Net Inflow of 150,000 in Oct.

Jiji Press English News Service — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Tokyo, Nov. 7 (Jiji Press)--KDDI Corp. said Wednesday its net inflow of customers under the mobile number portability system surged to 152,700 in October thanks to brisk sales of Apple Inc.'s iPhone 5.

KDDI, the provider of "au" mobile communications services, stayed the top for MNP net inflow for the 13th straight month, up 57,400 from September.

KDDI overwhelmed its rival Softbank Mobile Corp., also a seller of the iPhone 5, because KDDI offered better services, including expansion of areas covered by the Long Term Evolution high-speed communications network, than the Softbank Corp. unit.

Under the MNP system, which allows users to switch carriers while retaining their phone numbers, the net inflow of Softbank stood at 37,900.

Meanwhile, industry leader NTT DoCoMo Inc. , which does not sell the iPhone, suffered the largest-ever MNP outflow of 189,800 due to an increase in the number of customers who switched to its competitors following the September launch of the iPhone 5.

In October, Softbank ranked top for net mobile phone subscription growth for the 10th consecutive month, with 284,200 net new subscriptions, followed by KDDI, with 238,800, and NTT DoCoMo, with 7,200.END

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Apple suit vs. Google over patent rates dismissed

Associated Press/AP Online — Mon, 05 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT

By PETER SVENSSON

NEW YORK - A suit by Apple claiming that Motorola Mobility, now owned by Google, is seeking unreasonably high license fees for the use of patents on wireless technology has been thrown out by a judge in Madison, Wis.

The suit is part of a world-spanning battle between Apple and Google, whose Android software powers the smartphones that compete with Apple's iPhone. Google bought Motorola Mobility, a once pioneering maker of cellphones, this summer to gain control of its patents.

In the suit filed last year, Apple claimed that Motorola was seeking a license fee of 2.25 percent of the price of devices that infringe on Motorola's patents, including the iPhone and iPod Touch. Motorola is obliged by standards-setting bodies to offer licenses at "reasonable" rates.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Strategy Analytics: Apple iPhone Owner Loyalty Declines

Business Wire — Tue, 30 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

For the first time since the Apple iPhone was released in 2007, the number of iPhone owners who say they definitely will or probably will purchase their next phone from the same brand has declined.

The recent Strategy Analytics Wireless Device Lab Report, iPhone Owner Loyalty Declines: Is Apple Losing its Innovation Edge?, found that only 75 percent of iPhone owners in Western Europe say they are likely to buy their next phone from Apple, down from 88 percent in 2011. US repeat purchase intentions have also seen a slight decline, down from 93 percent in 2011 to 88 percent in 2012.

"There is no doubt that Apple is continuing its success in retaining existing user base while attracting new customers," commented Paul Brown, Director at Strategy Analytics' User Experience Practice. "However, negative press prompted by a perceived lack of recent innovation by Apple has meant we are starting to see some growth in the number of previously highly loyal consumers who are now reconsidering whether or not they will purchase a new iPhone for their next device."

Taryn Tulay, Analyst at Strategy Analytics' Wireless Device Lab added, "Respondents who say they probably will or definitely will not buy their next phone from Apple is low. However, it is the shift in the number of those who are unsure whether they will remain with the same brand for their next phone that Apple should be concerned about."

About Strategy Analytics

Strategy Analytics, Inc. provides the competitive edge with advisory services, consulting and actionable market intelligence for emerging technology, mobile and wireless, digital consumer and automotive electronics companies. With offices in North America, Europe and Asia, Strategy Analytics delivers insights for enterprise success. www.StrategyAnalytics.com

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Vodafone Selects Gemalto to Setup and Manage Global NFC Mobile Payment Services

Business Wire — Mon, 29 Oct 2012 00:00:00 GMT

Regulatory News:

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO), the world leader in digital security announces that it has been selected by Vodafone Group, one of the world's largest mobile communications service providers, to provide and operate its global Trusted Service Management (TSM) platform and deploy NFC services solutions.

This multi-year global contract will provide the foundation for secure and convenient ~wave and pay' contactless transactions via mobile phone, as well as for numerous new services that demand the highest levels of security and integrity. Key elements of the end-to-end solution that is being integrated by Gemalto include the Allynis TSM service platform (a complete solution that ensures mobile payment end-to-end security encryption between financial institutions and mobile operators) and the company's UpTeq NFC high-end card product.

As the turnkey supplier and systems integrator for Vodafone's ambitious international project, Gemalto will provide for the launch of a range of innovative services that can address hundreds of millions of subscribers, located in all the countries where Vodafone Group operates. To support this program, Gemalto's solution will allow both Vodafone subsidiaries and third party service providers such as banks, transport operators and retailers to seamlessly plug into a secure and reliable NFC ecosystem.

"We are committed to partnering with the best suppliers to offer customers the speed, simplicity and convenience of managing everyday transactions with a single wave or tap of their smartphones" said Christian Wirtz, Vodafone Group's mCommerce Director. "The consumer benefits of contactless payments are obvious and the industry in Europe is now at the beginning of rolling out a contactless infrastructure. The potential of mobile to transform existing industries -- such as financial services, retail and transport- is enormous."

"Vodafone's decision to deploy the first global NFC service with Gemalto marks another important milestone in the long-standing and successful relationship between the two companies" added Philippe Vallée, Executive Vice-President of Telecommunications at Gemalto. "With the experience of dozens of TSM deployments worldwide, Gemalto brings significant accumulated expertise from both the telecoms and banking sectors. Vodafone's project will benefit from Gemalto's robust solution portfolio and from our know-how in end-to-end mission-critical systems integration."

About Gemalto

Gemalto (Euronext NL0000400653 GTO) is the world leader in digital security with 2011 annual revenues of �,�2 billion and more than 10,000 employees operating out of 74 offices and 14 Research & Development centers, located in 43 countries.

We are at the heart of the rapidly evolving digital society. Billions of people worldwide increasingly want the freedom to communicate, travel, shop, bank, entertain and work -- anytime, everywhere -- in ways that are enjoyable and safe. Gemalto delivers on their expanding needs for personal mobile services, payment security, authenticated cloud access, identity and privacy protection, eHealthcare and eGovernment efficiency, convenient ticketing and dependable machine-to-machine (M2M) applications.

Gemalto develops secure embedded software and secure products which we design and personalize. Our platforms and services manage these secure products, the confidential data they contain and the trusted end-user services they enable. Our innovations offer more ways for our clients to enhance the convenience and security of people's digital lives.

Gemalto thrives with the growing number of people using its solutions to interact with the digital and wireless world.

For more information visit www.gemalto.com, www.justaskgemalto.com, blog.gemalto.com, or follow @gemalto on Twitter.

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Samsung, Apple, HTC warn of squeeze

Independent, The; London (UK) — Fri, 26 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By NICK GOODWAY

Cut-throat competition between smartphone and tablet makers will intensify in the run-up to Christmas, industry experts warned yesterday after Apple, Samsung and HTC gave cautious outlooks on their key selling season.

Samsung, the world's biggest seller of smartphones with its Galaxy range, smashed third-quarter profit expectations but its shares fell as it said competition will get tougher in the final quarter as the global economy slows and manufacturers launch new mobile devices.

"We will do our best to sustain our earnings momentum throughout the fourth quarter by implementing strategies we have developed for our businesses," said Robert Yi, head of investor relations. He added: "The business environment remained difficult with global economic uncertainties persisting amid the fiscal concerns in the US and Europe."

Samsung's post-tax profit soared 91 per cent in the third quarter to 6.56 trillion won.

On Thursday night, Apple disappointed investors with a lower- than-expected forecast for final-quarter earnings as it admitted the launches of the iPhone 5 and iPad mini would dent profit margins. The finance director Peter Oppenheimer said gross profit margins on the iPad mini are "significantly below our corporate average".

HTC, which has struggled with its Microsoft phones against Samsung's Android devices, yesterday said it expects final sales to be the lowest for any quarter since the start of 2010.

But what really spooked analysts was HTC's prediction its operating margin would shrink from 7 per cent in the third quarter to 1 per cent in the final quarter. Its third-quarter profits dropped by 79 per cent.

Research firm Strategy Analytics said Samsung sold 56.9 million smartphones in the third quarter, giving it a record 35 per cent market share.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Apple patent at center of Samsung case voided ; Rival could using ruling to overturn $1.05 billion infringement penalty

International Herald Tribune — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By STEVE LOHR

Apple is expected to challenge the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office's decision that one of the smartphone patents at the center of the dispute - which resulted in a jury award to Apple of $1.05 billion - was an error.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office has decided that one of the smartphone patents at the center of the legal dispute between Apple and Samsung Electronics -- which resulted in a jury award to Apple of $1.05 billion -- should never have been granted.

The patent office decision is an initial ruling, in a document dated Oct. 15 and filed electronically Monday, and probably will be challenged by Apple. It affects the patent for Apple's "rubber- banding," or "bounce," feature, which makes the digital page bounce when a user pulls a finger from the top of the touch screen to the bottom.

If the patent office ruling withstands challenges by Apple, it could be used to roll back the $1.05 billion in damages awarded in the California case and strengthen Samsung's hand in settlement talks with Apple, said James E. Bessen, a lecturer at the Boston University School of Law.

The patent office's action, patent specialists say, shows that the office, and not only courts around the world, will be an important front in the smartphone patent wars. These legal clashes mainly pit Apple against companies that use Google's Android software for smartphones, including Samsung, HTC and Motorola Mobility, which Google acquired last year.

The patent office ruling was reported Tuesday by Florian Muller, a patent analyst and blogger based in Germany.

The decision to invalidate the Apple patent was made under procedures for re-examining granted patents.

Under the America Invents Act, which was passed last year, the post-grant review process is being strengthened and applies to patent re-examination requests filed after Sept. 16.

Patent specialists say the new rules will make it more likely that courts will wait until the patent office has finished studying whether a patent should be invalidated. And the new law gives the director of the patent office the power to order that a patent be re- examined.

"The patent office now has the opportunity to actually take the lead rather than following the courts," said Arti K. Rai, a professor at Duke University School of Law and a former external affairs administrator at the patent office. "This has the potential to be a really important way to try to curb the problems with existing patents."

A major problem, according to patent specialists, is that the patent office grants patents too easily in the first place. That is particularly the case, they say, with certain kinds of patents, including those on software. Unlike pharmaceuticals, where a single clearly defined molecule can be the patented invention, software patents often describe digital concepts carried out in code. In software, the boundaries are less clear, and innovation tends to be step-by-step, building on years, sometimes decades of work.

Big technology companies, patent specialists say, have exploited the complexity and uncertainty of software to amass large portfolios of patents.

Frontline patent examiners, working under tight time pressure, they say, tend to be outmatched by wealthy companies when patents are filed. But post-grant review affords another, more painstaking look.

"It gives the patent office the ability to focus on the patents that really matter," said Colleen Chien, an assistant professor at the Santa Clara University Law School.

The patent office's re-examination team issued its invalidation decision on patent 7,469,381. It was one of the six patents that formed the basis of the jury verdict against Samsung in a U.S. court in San Jose, Calif.

The patent is at the center of Apple's intellectual property strategy in smartphones and tablets of patenting user-experience software. Upon review, the patent office determined that the idea and the bounce feature had been invented earlier, even if the pointing device was not a finger on a touch screen.

Before the California trial, Samsung had made a change to sidestep the Apple patent on its newest smartphones. The same finger stroke brings a blue glow at the bottom of the screen, not a bounce.

This week, Samsung filed a copy of the patent office's initial invalidation ruling on the Apple patent with the judge in the California case, Lucy Koh. Samsung has asked that Koh overrule the jury. And the company is appealing the entire verdict.

The Android camp has filed other requests to re-examine Apple smartphone patents with the patent office. In a statement, Allen Lo, Google's deputy general counsel, said: "The patent office plays a critical role in ensuring that overly broad patents cannot be used to limit consumer choice. We appreciate the care the patent office has taken in re-examining dubious software claims."

Apple did not respond to an e-mail request for comment.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

O2 Launches Chip and PIN Mobile POS Service

PRNewswire — Wed, 24 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

LONDON, October 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --

First UK mobile network operator to introduce mobile card payment solution offering boost to smaller businesses

We've announced a new Mobile Point of Sale service (mPOS), with Visa Europe and Global Payments which allows retailers to accept credit and debit card payments simply via mobile technology.

mPOS makes accepting card payments a breeze for retailers and customers. A low cost chip & PIN Pad accessory is connected to the retailer's existing Smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth. A free eMerit app downloaded on the mobile or tablet manages the card payment transaction, and then sends the customer a receipt via email and/or SMS if required.

It's available on Android and BlackBerry now, with the iOS version coming soon.

MD of O2 Money, James le Brocq said: "At O2 we understand the importance of the mobile device in digital payments. Our new mPOS service has the ability to transform the revenues of smaller businesses and sole traders by offering their customers the ability to pay with Visa or MasterCard credit or debit cards as an alternative to cash.

"mPOS is the latest addition to our portfolio of financial products and services which includes mobile insurance, tablet insurance and more recently, O2 Wallet, an innovative new service designed to digitise your physical wallet onto your mobile."

Chris Davies, Managing Director of Global Payments, said: "We are excited to be working with O2 on such an innovative product and we're really looking forward to working together to provide SMBs with access to new payment opportunities."

Sandra Alzetta, Senior Vice President of Mobile at Visa Europe said: "This latest innovation is an exciting partnership for Visa, O2 and Global Payments. We want to unlock the value of electronic payments for smaller retailers - by getting this device into the hands of tradesmen, home-based businesses and market stall operators, we believe we can help them sell more products and services to consumers who forgot to withdraw enough cash."

Find out more information at http://www.o2.co.uk/business/mobile- payment-services

All O2 news releases can be accessed at our website: http:// www.o2.co.uk/news

About Global Payments

Global Payments Inc. (NYSE: GPN) is a leading provider of electronic transaction processing services for merchants, Independent Sales Organizations (ISOs), financial institutions, government agencies and multi-national corporations located throughout the United States, Canada, Europe and the Asia-Pacific region.

Global Payments, a Fortune 1000 company, offers a comprehensive line of processing solutions for credit and debit cards, business- to-business purchasing cards, gift cards, electronic check conversion and check guarantee, verification and recovery including electronic check services, as well as terminal management. Visit http://www.globalpaymentsinc.com for more information about the company and its services.

About O2

O2 is the commercial brand of Telefonica UK Limited and is a leading communications company with over 23 million customers - read more about O2 at http://www.o2.co.uk/news. O2 runs 2G and 3G networks and was the first to trial 4G/LTE, reaching speeds of over 100Mpbs, as well as owning half of Tesco Mobile. It also operates O2 Wifi, O2 Health and has recently launched the O2 Wallet. O2 employs over 11,000 people in the UK, has 450 retail stores and sponsors The O2, O2 Academy venues and the England rugby team. Telefonica UK Limited is part of Telefonica Europe plc which uses O2 as its commercial brand in the UK, Ireland, Slovakia, Germany and the Czech Republic and is a business division of Telefonica SA.

SOURCE O2

Originally published by O2.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

HTC seeks to reverse sliding smartphone sales

Associated Press/AP Online — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By ANNIE HUANG

TAIPEI, Taiwan - Taiwan's HTC Corp. enjoyed three golden years as the first company to make smartphones based on Google's Android software. Now, it is struggling to halt a slide in sales and keep its status as a global brand in a market increasingly divided between Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co.

HTC phones were launched in 2006 and the Taiwanese company surged into the fast lane two years later with its Android smartphones that appealed to consumers because of competitive prices on the free operating system and their strong design.

But its sales faltered from the second half of 2011, partly because its limited financial resources put it at a strong disadvantage to aggressive marketing drives by Samsung and Apple. And unlike its American competitor, it lacked a distinctive flagship phone that captured the hearts of consumers as a must-have product. Instead it produced many phones, trying to cater to a wide range of consumers.

HTC on Friday reported a 79 percent drop in third quarter profit to 3.9 billion New Taiwan dollars ($99 million) on revenue of NT$70 billion. It was HTC's fourth consecutive fall in quarterly profit.

Worse may be to come. It predicted revenue will drop to NT$60 billion in the fourth quarter despite traditional pre-Christmas buying and its introduction of two new models running on Microsoft's Windows 8 software.

"HTC is undergoing a difficult period of trial and error," said Stephen Su, market analyst at Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute.

"Its technology is good and its design capability is Taiwan's best," he said. "But like other Taiwanese makers, HTC falls behind in the area of practical application."

Su said HTC's unfamiliarity with Western markets puts it at a disadvantage in developing products for Western consumers - in contrast to Apple, which always seems to be one step ahead of consumer sentiment, not only in the West, but all around the world.

HTC was founded in 1997 as a contract electronics manufacturer. Under its chief executive Peter Chou, the company switched to making smartphones in 2006, collaborating with U.S. carriers in marketing efforts.

HTC's performance reached its peak in the April-June period of 2011, when it shipped 12 million phones and its revenue totaled NT$125 billion.

The company's salvation may lie in pursuing alliances with tablet computer and TV makers so HTC phones can share entertainment and other programs with multiple devices just like iPhones do. The Taiwan maker has not publically addressed the question of a prospective alliance.

China's vast market could also offer HTC very good growth prospects. Economic ties and trade between China and Taiwan, which Beijing considers a breakaway province, have blossomed in recent years, providing new avenues of growth for many Taiwanese companies.

"The greater China market may be HTC's opportunity if they can make phones with features desired by the Chinese and possibly extend that experience to design products for Western consumers," said Su.

In China's fast growing smartphone market, HTC is expected to sell 6 million phones this year, ranking 10th, according to Taiwan's Topology Research Institute.

That would put it well behind Samsung's projected 32 million, Apple's 15 million and even Nokia's 11 million, the organization said. Total Chinese smartphone sales in 2013 will likely hit 256 million, up 36 percent on 2012, it said.

Dennis Chan, an analyst with Taiwan's Yuanta Core Pacific Securities, said that despite its current troubles, HTC can bounce back if it can come up with a new phone that resonates with consumers.

"The company is now rolling out only a few models instead of multiple phones to meet every taste as it used to," Chan said. "It will remain a recognized brand for high- and middle-end phones. But it needs to launch a flagship model with distinctive features to really turn things around."

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Apple Introduces iPad mini

Business Wire — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Apple� today introduced iPad� mini, a completely new iPad design that is 23 percent thinner and 53 percent lighter than the third generation iPad. The new iPad mini features a stunning 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display, FaceTime� HD and iSight� cameras, ultrafast wireless performance1 and an incredible 10 hours of battery life2.every inch an iPad, yet in a revolutionary design you can hold in one hand. Apple today also announced the fourth generation iPad featuring a gorgeous 9.7-inch Retina display, new Apple-designed A6X chip, FaceTime HD camera and ultrafast wireless performance. Both iPad mini and fourth generation iPad come with iOS 6, the world's most advanced mobile operating system with over 200 new features.

iPad mini features a stunning 7.9-inch Multi-touch display, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras, ultrafast wireless performance and an incredible 10 hours of battery life.every inch an iPad, yet in a revolutionary design you can hold in one hand. (Photo: Business Wire)

"iPad mini is every inch an iPad. With its gorgeous 7.9-inch display, iPad mini features the same number of pixels as the original iPad and iPad 2, so you can run more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad," said Philip Schiller, Apple's senior vice president of Worldwide Marketing. "iPad mini is as thin as a pencil and as light as a pad of paper, yet packs a fast A5 chip, FaceTime HD and 5 megapixel iSight cameras and ultrafast wireless.all while delivering up to 10 hours of battery life."

iPad mini comes in a beautiful new aluminum and glass design that is just 7.2 mm thin and weighs only 0.68 pounds. The 7.9-inch Multi-Touch display delivers the same iPad experience users have come to expect, in a design that has 35 percent more screen real estate than 7-inch tablets and up to an astonishing 67 percent more usable viewing area when browsing the web. The dual-core A5 chip delivers responsive graphics and a fast, fluid Multi-Touch experience, while still providing all-day battery life.

iPad mini features a front-facing FaceTime HD camera and a 5 megapixel iSight camera on the back with advanced optics for taking sharp still pictures and recording full 1080p HD video. The iSight camera includes video image stabilization and both cameras feature backside illumination to let users capture great pictures in low light. iPad mini also allows easy sharing of photos with friends and family using iCloud's Shared Photo Streams.

iPad mini features dual-band 802.11n Wi-Fi support for speeds up to 150 Mbps,3 which is twice the Wi-Fi performance compared to previous iPad models. iPad mini is available in Wi-Fi + Cellular models which are world-ready with built-in support for ultrafast wireless standards, including LTE1 and DC-HSDPA, so you can browse, download and stream content fast from wherever you are. iPad mini data plans will be available with no contract so you can simply sign up and activate service directly from your iPad.4 The Personal Hotspot feature means you can share a fast cellular data connection via Wi-Fi, Bluetooth or USB with up to five other devices such as MacBook� Pro, iPod touch� or another iPad.5

The new fourth generation iPad features the amazing 9.7-inch Retina display and includes a new Apple-designed A6X chip that delivers up to twice the CPU performance and up to twice the graphics performance of the A5X chip, all while delivering an incredible 10 hours of battery life in the same thin and light iPad design. Other new features include a FaceTime HD camera, twice the Wi-Fi performance when compared to previous iPad models and support for additional LTE carriers worldwide.6

iPad mini and fourth generation iPad both feature support for the Lightning connector that is smaller, smarter and more durable than the 30-pin connector. Lightning connector accessories are available to support cameras, SD cards and VGA or HDMI digital video.7 Existing iPad Smart Covers and the iPad Smart Case are compatible with fourth generation iPad, and new polyurethane Smart Covers custom-designed for iPad mini are available in pink, green, blue, light gray, dark gray and (PRODUCT) RED for $39.

iPad runs over 700,000 apps available on the App Store�" , including more than 275,000 apps designed specifically for iPad, from a wide range of categories including books, games, business, news, sports, health, reference and travel. iPad also supports the more than 5,000 newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand and the more than 1.5 million books available on the iBookstore�" . The iTunes Store� puts the world's most popular online music, TV and movie store at your fingertips with a catalog of over 26 million songs, over 190,000 TV episodes and over 45,000 films. The new iBooks� app for iPad lets users read ebooks in over 40 languages. iBooks also lets users experience an entirely new kind of ebook that's dynamic, engaging and truly interactive. Ebooks created with Apple's new iBooks Author offer gorgeous, fullscreen ebooks with interactive animations, diagrams, photos, videos, custom fonts, mathematical expressions and much more.

Pricing & Availability

iPad mini with Wi-Fi models will be available in black & slate or white & silver on Friday, November 2, for a suggested retail price of $329 (US) for the 16GB model, $429 (US) for the 32GB model and $529 (US) for the 64GB model. The fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi models will also be available on Friday, November 2, in black or white for a suggested retail price of $499 (US) for the 16GB model, $599 (US) for the 32GB model and $699 (US) for the 64GB model. iPad mini and the fourth generation iPad will be sold through the Apple Online Store (www.apple.com), Apple's retail stores, and select Apple Authorized Resellers in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular and fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular will start shipping a couple of weeks after the Wi-Fi models, beginning in the US on AT&T, Sprint and Verizon. iPad mini with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be offered for a suggested retail price of $459 (US) for the 16GB model, $559 (US) for the 32GB model and $659 (US) for the 64GB model. Fourth generation iPad with Wi-Fi + Cellular will be offered for a suggested retail price of $629 (US) for the 16GB model, $729 (US) for the 32GB model and $829 (US) for the 64GB model. Additionally, iPad 2 is available at $399 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi model and just $529 (US) for the 16GB Wi-Fi + 3G model where they are sold now.

Customers can begin pre-ordering all models of iPad mini and all models of the fourth generation iPad on Friday, October 26 through the Apple Online Store in the US, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Canada, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Korea, Luxembourg, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the UK.

1 LTE is available through select carriers. Network speeds are dependent on carrier networks. Check with your carrier for details.

2 Battery life depends on device settings, usage and other factors. Actual results vary.

3 Based on theoretical speeds, actual speeds may vary.

4 Only available on some carriers.

5 Personal Hotspot requires supporting data plan. Customers should check with their carrier for availability.

6 LTE is available through select carriers.

7 Sold separately.

Apple designs Macs, the best personal computers in the world, along with OS X, iLife, iWork and professional software. Apple leads the digital music revolution with its iPods and iTunes online store. Apple has reinvented the mobile phone with its revolutionary iPhone and App Store, and is defining the future of mobile media and computing devices with iPad.

NOTE TO EDITORS: For additional information visit Apple's PR website (www.apple.com/pr), or call Apple's Media Helpline at (408) 974-2042.

© 2012 Apple Inc. All rights reserved. Apple, the Apple logo, Mac, Mac OS, Macintosh, iPad, Multi-touch, FaceTime, iSight, Retina, MacBook, iPod touch, Lightning, App Store, iBookstore, iTunes Store and iBooks are trademarks of Apple. Other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners.

Photos/MultimediaGallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50451128&lang=en

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Yahoo to exit South Korea by end of year

Associated Press/AP Online — Thu, 18 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By YOUKYUNG LEE

SEOUL, South Korea - Yahoo Inc. said it will close its South Korean web portal and an Internet advertising business, cutting its losses in a market where it has struggled for over a decade.

Yahoo's South Korea unit said Friday its Seoul office with over 200 employees will be shut by the end of this year. The decision comes after former Google executive Marissa Mayer took the helm at the struggling U.S. Internet company in July.

The closure of the Korean arm is part of efforts to "create a stronger global business by realigning resources," Yahoo Korea said in a statement.

Since entering South Korea in 1997, Yahoo has operated a namesake portal in Korean and an Internet advertising company, Overture Korea.

Yahoo's South Korean market share has become negligible in recent years as users flocked to Naver, Daum and other portals operated by South Korean Internet firms.

Yahoo Korea was also hurt by the rapid adoption of smartphones and the mobile Internet, which made it more difficult to attract advertisers to web portals designed for desktop computers. Overture Korea added to problems by failing to renew key advertising deals.

Yahoo Inc. has been struggling against competition from Google and Facebook, failing to lift its advertising revenues even though companies increased their online marketing budgets. Yahoo replaced two CEOs in a year.

A Yahoo Korea official said Yahoo doesn't plan to close other overseas businesses.

The Sunnyvale, Calif.-based company is scheduled to release its third-quarter earnings on Monday.

Yahoo Korea is wholly owned by its U.S. parent company.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

E.U. tells Google to fix personal data policies

International Herald Tribune — Tue, 16 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By KEVIN J O'BRIEN

The company could face fines or legal action if it does not move to give consumers a better idea of what information is being collected and how it is being used.

European regulators on Tuesday threatened Google with fines or legal action unless it made it clearer to its customers what personal information was being collected from them and how it was being used.

In a letter to Google, the regulators stopped short of describing the company's 10-month-old data collection policy as illegal. But it noted that Google did not appear to adhere to Europe's approach to data collection, which requires explicit prior consent by individuals and that the data collected be kept at a minimum.

The regulators couched their requests as "practical recommendations." But when asked what regulators would do if Google did not accede and make changes, Jacob Kohnstamm, head of the Dutch data protection authority, said national regulators probably would take legal action to compel changes.

"After all, enforcement is the name of the game," Mr. Kohnstamm said.

The request was disclosed at a news conference in Paris by the French regulator, known as CNIL, or the National Commission for Computing and Civil Liberties, which was acting on behalf of all European data regulators.

Google announced the new policy in January, billing it as a way to streamline and simplify the privacy practices it employed worldwide across about 60 different online services, and to introduce greater clarity for users

Starting in January, Google informed customers of Gmail, Google Maps, YouTube and other services of the changes until they took effect in March, requiring customers to agree to them in order to have access to their accounts.

European regulators voiced their concerns almost immediately and the CNIL conducted an inquiry that lasted months.

Isabelle Falque-Pierrotin, the chairwoman of the CNIL, said her agency was giving Google "three to four months" to respond to its concerns. "

"If Google does not implement these recommendations, we will pass to a different phase, a phase of sanctions," Ms. Falque-Pierrotin said.

Enforcement of privacy law in Europe remains a matter for national regulators. In France, the CNIL has the legal ability to fine companies as much as EUR 300,000, or about $390,000, for privacy breaches. But it remains unclear whether the regulator will levy a fine and whether other E.U. countries will follow suit.

Google said it believed that its policy was legal.

"We have received the report and are reviewing it now," Peter Fleischer, the company's global privacy counsel, said in the statement. "Our new privacy policy demonstrates our longstanding commitment to protecting our users' information and creating great products. We are confident that our privacy notices respect European law."

If adopted, the recommendations could have consequences on some of Google's main businesses, which depend on consumer profiling for the targeting of advertising.

Jeff Gould, the president of SafeGov, a group based in San Francisco representing companies that sell software and hardware to governments, said Google's privacy policy was very similar to that used by Microsoft and Facebook.

"Their approach is that we can take anything we learn from you from our services to build a profile of a user to serve targeted ads," Mr. Gould said during an interview. "My view is that is a completely legitimate model if you give the consumer the opportunity to opt out."

Google's privacy policy requires users to accept it before being able to use the full range of services, Mr. Gould said.

"The Europeans want Google to ask the user to give their consent explicitly and on a much more specific level, to permit the collection of data for targeted ads," he said.

"If Google did that responsibly, I don't think it would kill their business," Mr. Gould added. "But that is the 64,000 terabyte question."

In the letter to Google, the European regulators said Google's policy allowed the company to "combine almost any data from any services for any purpose."

"Google did not set any limits to the combination of data nor provide clear and comprehensive tools allowing its users to control it," the letter said.

The regulators also noted that Google failed to tell the French investigators how long it kept certain kinds of data, despite being asked to.

The group asked Google to make several specific changes to give consumers more awareness and control over their data, including an interactive online presentation of how the data were used.

The regulators also asked Google to better explain the purposes for collecting data, and how data combined from its different services -- which include YouTube, a search engine and the Google Plus social network -- might be used.

It also called on the company to give people greater ability to opt out if they did not want their information used for a specific purpose.

The request to Google comes as European antitrust regulators separately are investigating whether Google has used its search engine to favor its own services and through preferential rankings to put competitors at a disadvantage.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission is also preparing a recommendation that will ask the U.S. government to sue Google for its search engine practices.

In Europe, Google has been under fire since it acknowledged in 2010 that it had collected private data on individuals by secretly siphoning unencrypted Internet data that was broadcast from home Wi- Fi routers, as Google cars drove by to take photographs for its Street View online map business.

Google at the time attributed the collection of Wi-Fi data to a programmer's error, but the computer engineer at the center of the project, who resided in California, has never publicly given his version of events. Last April, the F.T.C. fined Google $25,000 for obstructing its investigation into the incident, though the regulator concluded that Google's collection of Wi-Fi data, while intentional, was not illegal.

In Europe, a criminal and a civil investigation into Google's Wi- Fi data collection are still open in Germany, though most European countries have since dropped their complaints after Google apologized. In France, the CNIL, which was the first European privacy agency to search the technology on Street View cars, fined Google EUR 100,000, or $130,000, in 2011.

Mr. Kohnstamm, who also serves as chairman of the European Commission's top privacy panel, the Article 29 Working Group, said by telephone that privacy regulators in all 27 European Union countries, plus Canada and some countries in Asia, had participated in the CNIL inquiry and had endorsed the request to Google, which outlines areas for changes to improve protection of personal data.

Mr. Kohnstamm had asked Google in a letter on Feb. 2 to postpone its new privacy policy so European regulators could investigate its effects on privacy. But Google declined.

"We are hoping that this time Google will listen to us," Mr. Kohnstamm said.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Softbank to buy 70 percent of Sprint for $20 bln

Associated Press/AP Online — Sun, 14 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By YURI KAGEYAMA

TOKYO - Softbank Corp. has reached a deal to buy 70 percent of U.S. mobile carrier Sprint Nextel Corp. for $20.1 billion in the largest ever foreign acquisition by a Japanese company.

The agreement, announced Monday at a joint news conference in Tokyo by Softbank President Masayoshi Son and Sprint Chief Executive Dan Hesse, will bring together the third biggest mobile carriers of both Japan and the U.S., underlining the growth ambitions of Softbank, which has made a series of acquisitions over the last couple of decades.

It also shows how the strong yen, which is usually seen as a negative for export-reliant Japan Inc., has boosted the overseas purchasing power of Japanese corporations as a stagnant domestic market pushes them to look abroad for growth. The Sprint buy pushes Japan's overseas acquisitions so far this year, including debt of the acquired companies, to over $100 billion, nearly double the same period last year, according to deal tracking company Dealogic.

The deal was given a green light by the boards of both companies. It still needs approval from Sprint shareholders and U.S. regulators. Softbank said the transaction is expected to be completed by the middle of next year.

The combination of Softbank and Sprint will tie with AT&T for world's No. 3 mobile company by revenue after China Mobile and Verizon, according to Softbank.

Son said the investment made sense because the U.S. is the world's biggest market in smartphones, and it was still growing.

The news of the deal, which leaked late last week, had spooked investors worried about such a big investment and sent Softbank shares lower by about a third in recent sessions. Standard & Poor's had placed Softbank on "credit watch negative," meaning its credit rating could be downgraded. Shares of Sprint shot up in anticipation of the offer.

Sprint has struggled in recent years to compete with Verizon and AT&T. The company has $21 billion in long-term debt, and has launched a costly network restructuring and signed a long-term contract to buy $15.5 billion worth of iPhones from Apple Inc. over four years.

But Son said Sprint has been recovering on its own lately and is now getting cash, thanks to his investment. Son has a record of buying struggling mobile companies and turning them around, including the Japan unit of Vodafone.

Under the agreement with Sprint, $12.1 billion will go to Sprint shareholders and $8 billion will be fresh capital, which will serve to strengthen Sprint's balance sheet and networks, Son said. Softbank is offering $7.30 a share for the existing shares, about 27 percent above Friday's closing price of $5.73.

Son has made no secret that he has been looking abroad for new growth as the Japanese mobile market has been stagnant for years. Softbank has been an exception in racking up strong profit despite such stagnation, largely on the popularity of the iPhone.

Softbank was the first carrier to offer the iPhone in Japan. The iPhone has been such a hit in Japan it has shaped Softbank's brand image and helped it lure customers away from its two bigger rivals. Son said earlier this year that he is determined Softbank will overtake NTT DoCoMo, the longtime No. 1, and a former government monopoly.

Son said the advent of smartphones means that the U.S. and Japanese markets have much in common, and the two companies could benefit and learn from each other. They can also work together on faster speed "4G" mobile networks called LTE. Softbank recently bought smaller Japanese rival eAccess, largely to gain LTE networks.

By joining forces, Sprint and Softbank will become one of the top world smartphone providers, gaining greater bargaining power with the manufacturers of the gadgets and network equipment suppliers.

"This is a transformative transaction for Sprint that creates immediate value for our stockholders, while providing an opportunity to participate in the future growth of a stronger, better capitalized Sprint going forward," Hesse said.

Son, a graduate of the University of California, Berkeley, said he was only 16 when he ventured alone to the U.S.

"I am happy to be able to tell you today of my big comeback to the U.S.," he said. "This is going to be an even bigger challenge."

Before Monday's deal, the biggest overseas acquisition by a Japanese company was Japan Tobacco Inc.'s purchase of Gallaher Group of Great Britain in 2007 for about $19 billion.

But the strength of the yen, with the dollar plunging to 78 yen from about 85 yen two years ago, is encouraging Japanese companies to go shopping.

Son, an unusually risk-taking and innovative executive in a corporate culture that tends to favor a staid conservative approach, acknowledged the big question is whether his overseas foray will succeed.

"I am confident," he said.

---

Follow Yuri Kageyama on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/yurikageyama

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

German telecom sector seen cooperating with "controversial" Chinese firms

BBC Monitoring European — Thu, 11 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Excerpt from report by independent German Spiegel Online website on 9 October

[Report by Konrad Lischka, Matthias Kremp: "Charge of Espionage: Telekom Cooperates With Controversial Companies From China"]

Hamburg -- It is a nightmare that the US Congressional Intelligence Committee is conjuring up. "The United States should view with suspicion the continued penetration of the US market by Chinese telecommunications companies," it says in the 60-page final report of the investigation into the companies Huawei and ZTE. The nightmare would be: there could be wiretapping, recording, espionage at the transmission substations of the cable and wireless networks that are also equipped with technology from China. Huawei and ZTE are a "security risk," according to the report.

In the report US companies are explicitly advised to refrain from doing further business with Huawei and ZTE. But in Germany all major telecommunications suppliers work together with the Chinese. [passage omitted]

On 8 October Huawei deputy CEO William Plummer reacted as expected to the US congressmen's charges: he denied them and insisted that "the integrity and independence" of his company is "trusted in almost 150 markets."

Huawei and ZTE are also trusted in Germany. Both are heavily involved for example in building the superfast LTE wireless networks for all German cell phone providers.

Upon inquiry Vodafone explained that they work "confidently with both companies" and see "no reason to stop doing so." There is "neither concrete evidence of the activities they are accused of nor is there any knowledge about it on the part of the Office for the Protection of the Constitution." Furthermore, Vodafone has "established its own security systems in our networks."

In Great Britain Huawei has even set up a security center, where local authorities can test their own components. The Security Evaluation Centre lies in Banbury in Britain and has been in existence since 2010. A similar center in cooperation with the Federal Office for Information Security (BSI) is also contemplated in this country, according to Vodafone. So far the BSI has not taken a position on this issue.

'No Concrete Indications of Security Gaps'

The O2 parent company Telefonica said when contacted that components from Huawei are used but not from ZTE. There are no concerns about that: their service providers are obligated "to comply with German law and the highest security requirements." Further, O2 also has its "own security methods to check the network components."

Deutsche Telekom confirms that Huawei and ZTE have delivered "various components for the landline network and cellular communication." But they are "configured and tested according to our requirements." Security checks are also undertaken: "We don't use any technology that does not meet our security requirements." As far as the German center knows, however, "T-Mobile USA uses no components from the two companies mentioned." To be sure, one takes the warnings of the US Congress "basically seriously" at Telekom, but: "We are not aware of any concrete evidence of security gaps in individual products." [passage omitted]

So is there anything to the speculations by the US congressional committee that Huawei and ZTE could be spying on behalf of the Chinese Government?

One German security expert revealed last summer at a conference of experts that in connection with Huawei products it was at least necessary to be cautious -- though for different reasons, to begin with. Felix "FX" Lindner, head of the Berlin security company Recurity Labs, has discovered serious security gaps in routers from the Chinese company. At the Defcon hacker conference in Las Vegas he pointed out weak points in routers for computer networks that he had proved in cooperation with colleagues. These gaps make it possible for attackers to take control of the equipment. However, this involves end customer equipment, not components for cell phone networks.

Software security and code quality are below average, says Lindner: "I wouldn't want to have Huawei equipment in German government networks, because it's simply too poor. You can't trust it."

Last summer he also criticized the Chinese company's general handling of security problems: for example, Huawei has no office responsible for receiving reports of security gaps and publishes no security recommendations. However, he has a feeling that something is slowly improving in the company in this respect. But the products cannot be recommended for that reason for a long time.

Even the security expert cannot say whether it is a matter of bad work or bad intentions regarding the security problems: "Distinguishing amateurishness from maliciousness is almost impossible."

He did not want to comment on the espionage charge in the United States. "So far no one has found any loopholes, so it remains speculation," he says. However, he says it is cause for concern that you really do not need any loopholes if the gaps are so serious that an attacker -- no matter where from -- has such an easy job.

Originally published by Spiegel Online website, Hamburg, in German 9 Oct 12.

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Tech giants' patent wars take toll on innovation

International Herald Tribune — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By CHARLES DUHIGG; STEVE LOHR

Experts argue that U.S. rules, intended for a mechanical world, are inadequate in a digital one. Patents on technology often grant ownership of concepts, rather than tangible creations.

When Apple announced last year that all iPhones would come with a voice-activated assistant named Siri, capable of answering spoken questions, Michael Phillips's heart sank.

For three decades, Mr. Phillips had focused on writing software to allow computers to understand human speech. In 2006, he co- founded a voice recognition company, and executives at Apple, Google and elsewhere eventually proposed partnerships. Mr. Phillips's technology was even integrated into Siri itself before the digital assistant was absorbed into the iPhone.

But in 2008, Mr. Phillips's company, Vlingo, had been contacted by a larger voice recognition firm called Nuance.

"I have patents that can prevent you from practicing in this market," Nuance's chief executive, Paul Ricci, told Mr. Phillips, according to executives involved in that conversation.

Mr. Ricci issued an ultimatum: Mr. Phillips could sell his firm to Mr. Ricci or be sued for patent infringements. When Mr. Phillips refused to sell, Mr. Ricci's company filed the first of six lawsuits.

Soon after, Apple and Google stopped returning phone calls. The company behind Siri switched its partnership from Mr. Phillips to Mr. Ricci's firm. And the millions of dollars Mr. Phillips had set aside for research and development were redirected to lawyers and court fees.

When the first lawsuit went to trial last year, Mr. Phillips won. In the companies' only courtroom face-off, a jury ruled that Mr. Phillips had not infringed on a broad voice recognition patent owned by Mr. Ricci's company.

But it was too late. The suit had cost $3 million, and the financial damage was done. In December, Mr. Phillips agreed to sell his company to Mr. Ricci.

"We were on the brink of changing the world before we got stuck in this legal muck," Mr. Phillips said.

Mr. Phillips and Vlingo are among the thousands of executives and companies caught in a software patent system that U.S. judges, economists, policy makers and technology executives say is so flawed that it often stymies innovation.

Alongside the impressive technological advances of the past two decades, they argue, a feeling of gloom has descended: The marketplace for new ideas has been corrupted by software patents used as destructive weapons.

Vlingo was a tiny upstart on this battlefield, but as recent litigation involving Apple and Samsung shows, technology giants have also waged wars among themselves.

In the smartphone industry alone, according to a Stanford University analysis, as much as $20 billion was spent on patent litigation and purchases in the last two years -- an amount equal tothe cost of almost eight Mars rover missions. Last year, for the first time, spending by Apple and Google on patent lawsuits and unusually big-dollar patent purchases exceeded spending on research and development of new products, according to public filings.

Patents are vital to protecting intellectual property. Plenty of creativity occurs within the technology industry, and without patents, executives say they could never justify spending fortunes on new products. And academics say that some aspects of the patent system, like protections for pharmaceuticals, often function smoothly.

However, many people argue that U.S. patent rules, intended for a mechanical world, are inadequate in the digital marketplace of today. Unlike patents for new drug formulas, patents on software often effectively grant ownership of concepts, rather than tangible creations.

Today, the patent office routinely approves patents that describe vague algorithms or business methods, like a software system for calculating online prices, without patent examiners' demanding specifics about how those calculations occur or how the software operates.

As a result, some patents are so broad that they allow patent holders to claim sweeping ownership of seemingly unrelated products built by others. Often, companies are sued over alleged violations of patents they never knew existed or never dreamed might apply to their creations, at a cost shouldered by consumers in the form of higher prices and fewer choices.

"There's a real chaos," Richard A. Posner, a U.S. appellate judge who has helped shape patent law, said in an interview. "The standards for granting patents are too loose."

Almost every major technology company is involved in ongoing patent battles, but the most significant player is Apple, industry executives say, because of its influence and the size of its claims: In August in California, the company won a $1 billion patent infringement judgment against Samsung. Former Apple employees say senior executives made a deliberate decision over the past decade, after Apple was a victim of patent attacks, to use patents as leverage against competitors to the iPhone, the company's biggest source of profits.

Apple has filed multiple suits against three companies -- HTC, Samsung and Motorola Mobility, now part of Google -- that are responsible for more than half of all smartphone sales in the United States. If Apple's claims -- which include ownership of minor elements like rounded square icons and of more fundamental smartphone technologies -- prevail, it would most likely force competitors to overhaul how they design phones, industry experts say.

HTC, Samsung, Motorola and others have filed numerous suits of their own, also trying to claim ownership of market-changing technologies.

The evolution of Apple into one of the industry's patent warriors gained momentum, like many things within the company, with a terse order from its chief executive, Steve Jobs.

It was 2006, and Apple was preparing to unveil the first iPhone. Life inside company headquarters, former executives said, had become a frenzy of programming sessions and meetings between engineers and executives. And, increasingly, patent lawyers.

Just months earlier, Apple reluctantly agreed to pay $100 million to Creative Technology, a Singapore-based company.

Five years before, Creative applied for a broad software patent for a "portable music playback device" that bore minor similarities to the iPod, an Apple product that had gone on sale the same year. Once the patent was granted to Creative, it became a license to sue.

Apple settled three months after Creative went to court.

"Creative is very fortunate to have been granted this early patent," Mr. Jobs said in a statement announcing the settlement in 2006.

Privately, Mr. Jobs gathered his senior managers.

While Apple had long been adept at filing patents, when it came to the new iPhone, "we're going to patent it all," he declared, according to a former executive who, like other former employees, requested anonymity because of confidentiality agreements.

"His attitude was that if someone at Apple can dream it up, then we should apply for a patent, because even if we never build it, it's a defensive tool," said Nancy R. Heinen, Apple's general counsel until 2006.

Soon, Apple's engineers were asked to participate in monthly "invention disclosure sessions." One day, a group of software engineers met with three patent lawyers, according to a former Apple patent lawyer who was at the meeting.

The disclosure session had yielded more than a dozen potential patents when an engineer, an Apple veteran, spoke up. "I would like to decline to participate," he said, according to the lawyer who had been at the meeting. The engineer explained that he didn't believe companies should be allowed to own basic software concepts.

It is a complaint heard throughout the industry. The increasing push to assert ownership of broad technologies has led to a destructive arms race, engineers say. Some point to so-called patent trolls, companies that exist solely to sue over patent violations. Others say big technology companies have also exploited the system's weaknesses.

"There are hundreds of ways to write the same computer program," said James Bessen, a legal expert at Harvard University. And so patent applications often try to encompass every potential aspect of a new technology. When such applications are approved, Mr. Bessen said, "the borders are fuzzy, so it's really easy to accuse others of trespassing on your ideas."

The number of patent applications, computer-related and otherwise, filed each year at the U.S. patent office has increased more than 50 percent over the past decade, to more than 540,000 in 2011. Google has received 2,700 patents since 2000, according to the patent analysis firm M-CAM. Microsoft has received 21,000.

In the past decade, the number of patent applications submitted by Apple each year has risen almost tenfold. The company has won ownership of pinching a screen to zoom in, of using magnets to affix a cover to a tablet computer and of the glass staircases in Apple stores. It has received more than 4,100 patents since 2000, according to M-CAM.

The application by Apple that eventually became patent 8,086,604 first crossed desks at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office on a winter day in 2004.

Over the next two years, a small cast of officials spent about 23 hours -- the time generally allotted for reviewing a new application -- examining the three dozen pages before recommending rejection. The application, for a voice- and text-based search engine, was "an obvious variation" on existing ideas, a patent examiner, Raheem Hoffler, wrote. Over the next five years, Apple modified and resubmitted the application eight times -- and each time it was rejected by the patent office.

Until last year.

On its 10th attempt, Apple got patent 8,086,604 approved. Though the patent was not among those Vlingo and Nuance fought over, today it is known as the Siri patent because it is widely viewed as one of the linchpins of Apple's strategy to protect its smartphone technologies.

In February, the company deployed this new patent in a continuing lawsuit against Samsung that could radically reorder the $200 billion smartphone business by giving Apple effective ownership of now-commonplace technologies, software experts say.

The Siri patent's path to approval "shows there's a lot wrong with the process," said Arti K. Rai, an intellectual property expert at Duke University School of Law in North Carolina who had reviewed the patent application for The Times. That patent, like numerous others, is an example of how companies can file an application again and again until they win approval, Ms. Rai said.

When Apple submitted the first application for 8,086,604, the iPhone and Siri did not exist. The application was aspirational: It described a theoretical "universal interface" that would allow people to search across various mediums, like the Internet, corporate databases and computer hard drives, without having to use multiple search engines. It outlined how such software might function, but it did not offer specifics about how to build it. It suggested that some people might speak a search phrase rather than use a keyboard.

The ideas contained in the application would blossom at Apple, Google, Microsoft, Nuance, Vlingo and dozens of other companies. All the while, the application traveled quietly through the patent office, where officials rejected it twice in 2007, three times in 2008, once in 2009, twice in 2010 and once in 2011.

The patent office declined to discuss 8,086,604. Officials pointed out that the agency's 7,650 examiners received more than half a million applications last year, and the numbers have kept climbing.

By all accounts, there have been improvements in the patent office since David J. Kappos took over as director in 2009. In an interview, Mr. Kappos said the lengthy back-and-forth between examiners and Apple was evidence that the system worked.

"It's called the patent office," he said, noting that issuing patents is the agency's job. In a statement, the agency said it had spent the past three years strengthening policies to improve patent quality. Besides, Mr. Kappos said, "we realize that only a handful of these patents will be really important."

Some experts worry that Apple's broad patents may give the company control of technologies that, over the last seven years, have been independently developed at dozens of companies and have become central to many devices.

"Apple could get a chokehold on the smartphone industry," said Tim O'Reilly, a publisher of computer guides and a software patent critic. "A patent is a government-sanctioned monopoly, and we should be very cautious about handing those out."

Others say the system works fine.

"Intellectual property is property, just like a house, and its owners deserve protection," said Jay P. Kesan, a law professor at the University of Illinois. "We have rules in place, and they're getting better.

"And if someone gets a bad patent, so what?" he said. "You can request a re-examination. You can go to court to invalidate the patent. Even rules that need improvements are better than no rules at all."

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

U.S. regulator takes aim at Google patents ; New inquiry broadens antitrust investigation by trade commission

International Herald Tribune — Wed, 10 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By STEVE LOHR

This time, the focus is on phones -- specifically, on patents that apply to lucrative smartphone technology, and the conduct of the Motorola Mobility subsidiary of Google.

For more than a year, the U.S. Federal Trade Commission has been conducting a broad antitrust investigation into the way Google runs its Internet search and search advertising businesses. But in recent months it has added another investigation into Google's competitive behavior.

This time, the focus is on phones -- specifically, on patents that apply to lucrative smartphone technology, and the conduct of the Motorola Mobility subsidiary of Google.

The F.T.C. issued subpoenas in June seeking information from Google and smartphone rivals including Apple and Microsoft, and it questioned representatives of the companies as recently as a few weeks ago, people briefed on the investigation said.

Google owns patents covering communications and data-handling technologies that are essential for the basic operation of smartphones and tablets -- what are known as standard-essential patents. The investigators are scrutinizing the company's policies for licensing those patents and suing other companies that it claims are infringing on them, said the people, who spoke on the condition that they not be identified.

The Motorola unit pledged to technology standards organizations that it would license the patents to others on "fair and reasonable" terms to stimulate the growth of the industry, benefiting all companies.

Bloomberg News reported in June that the trade commission had opened an investigation into the patent practices. Since then, the inquiry has progressed, and the use of standard-essential patents has been an issue in several court cases and before Congress.

Google said in a statement Tuesday, "We take our commitments to license on fair, reasonable and nondiscriminatory terms very seriously, and we are happy to answer any questions."

Standard-essential patents, antitrust experts say, are the modern, high-technology equivalent of certain vital railroad lines in the 19th century, like the Eads railroad terminal and bridge across the Mississippi River in St. Louis, the subject of a historic antitrust decision in 1912. Essential patents, like railroad bridges, can become anti-competitive bottlenecks if the corporate owner withholds access to the technology or demands unreasonably high payment.

In Senate testimony in July, Edith Ramirez, a commissioner at the trade agency, speaking of the potential abuse of standard-essential patents, said, "Holdup and the threat of holdup can deter innovation by increasing costs and uncertainty for other industry participants, including other patent holders."

Google is by no means the only smartphone company with standard- essential patents. But when it agreed to buy Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, Google picked up 17,000 patents, including a large trove of important patents relating to wireless devices that Motorola had committed to license.

The purchase by Google was partly to defend itself and the smartphone makers that use its Android software after rivals had already loaded up on patents.

A few months earlier, Apple and Microsoft had led a six-company consortium that outbid Google and paid $4.5 billion for 6,000 patents sold by Nortel Networks, a bankrupt telecommunications company.

In the smartphone patent wars, Apple has relied on its patents on design and the way a person interacts with a mobile device, which are not standard-essential patents.

The trade commission's investigation indicates that it is keeping an eye on the patent buildup by major high-technology companies. "It's part of the larger concern that the amalgamation of these giant patent arsenals harms competition," said William E. Kovacic, a former chairman of the trade commission who is now a professor at George Washington University in Washington.

"The worry," Mr. Kovacic said, "is that the new Googles and new Apples will bump into too many patent tollbooths."

The trade commission is not the only agency that has raised concerns about Google's stewardship of standard-essential patents. The Justice Department, when it approved Google's acquisition of Motorola and the consortium's purchase of Nortel's patents this year, issued a statement praising the "clear commitments" by Apple and Microsoft to license standard patents on fair terms. It also noted their pledge not to try to use such patents to seek court injunctions to stop the shipments of rivals' products.

"Google's commitments," the Justice Department statement said, "were more ambiguous and do not provide the same direct confirmation of its standard-essential patent licensing policies."

In June, Richard A. Posner, a judge on the U.S. appellate court in Chicago, dismissed a case between Apple and Motorola, finding the patent claims on both sides lacking. Judge Posner said the Motorola unit at Google could not try to calculate a royalty rate on a standard-essential patent based on "the holdup value -- conferred by the patent's being designated as standard-essential."

"Motorola," Judge Posner wrote, "has provided no evidence for calculating a reasonable royalty."

The greatest potential abuse of a standard-essential patent is to get a court injunction to block a product from a market, said Carl Shapiro, a former chief economist in the Justice Department's antitrust division.

Conventional patents can be used to stop shipment of an infringing product. But in the case of standard-essential patents, "you have made promises to license, and that changes the game," he said. "You've agreed to attenuate your property rights to expand the industry as a whole."

Companies should not be allowed to use standard-essential patents as weapons, said Mr. Shapiro, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley. They should be barred from using such patents to seek market-blocking injunctions, and pricing disputes should then be left to the courts to decide what is fair, he said.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Chinese telecom giants seen as cyber-spying threat to U.S.

The Washington Post — Mon, 08 Oct 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By Ellen Nakashima

Congressional investigators plan to turn over to the FBI evidence of potential cyber-espionage involving Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei Technologies, the chairman of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence said Monday.

Rep. Mike Rogers (R-Mich.) said committee investigators received "numerous allegations" from U.S. companies that equipment bought from Huawei sent unauthorized data to computers in China.

"That's a serious problem," Rogers said at a news conference to release the results of an 11-month investigation into Huawei and another Chinese tech giant, ZTE. "It could be a router that turns on in the middle of the night, starts sending back large data packs, and it happens to be sent back to China."

Rogers declined to identify companies that had complained about suspicious data transfers. But he and Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger (Md.), the committee's ranking Democrat, recommended that the U.S. government and American firms avoid using equipment from the Chinese firms for tasks that involve large amounts of sensitive data. The two lawmakers said the firms' close ties to the Chinese government pose a threat to national security.

William Plummer, Huawei's vice president for external affairs, denied the accusations and denounced the report as "quite strong on rhetoric" and "utterly lacking in substance."

He said he was aware of one incident in which Huawei equipment was linked to a malicious virus, but he said it did not involve the transfer of U.S. customer data.

Plummer said a Huawei employee's laptop was apparently infected through a WiFi center in a San Antonio hotel. When the employee connected to a customer's network, the client noticed that the laptop "started pulsing information into the Internet" and quickly cut the connection. Plummer said the data consisted of requests for access to Web sites as part of an apparent "denial of service" effort, a fairly routine nuisance on the Internet that he said was unrelated to Huawei.

"To the extent that the committee has any familiarity with those facts, then they also know they've misrepresented them," he said.

A committee staff member said the investigators had looked into the incident and had disputed Plummer's description of what happened. "There are other incidents, too, yes," said the staff member, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to talk to the press. "But saying more would compromise sensitive or proprietary information."

The committee report did not advocate a boycott of all products from Huawei or ZTE. But it did recommend that the federal government block mergers of U.S. firms with the Chinese companies because of their suspected ties to the Chinese government and the potential risk of espionage.

Huawei and ZTE are major participants in the worldwide telecommunications market, but they have struggled to expand in the United States because of suspicions that they are too close to the Chinese government and could be used as conduits for spying.

ZTE released a copy of a letter sent last month to the intelligence committee in which it said the company "profoundly disagrees" with accusations that it is controlled by the government.

nakashimae@washpost.com

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Spreadtrum Communications Declares Quarterly Cash Dividend

PRNewswire-FirstCall — Tue, 25 Sep 2012 23:00:00 GMT

SHANGHAI, Sept. 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Spreadtrum Communications, Inc. , a leading fabless semiconductor provider in China with advanced technology in 2G, 3G and 4G wireless communications standards, today announced that its Board of Directors (the "Board") has approved its sixth quarterly cash dividend of US$0.10 per American Depositary Share or approximately US$0.0333 per Ordinary Share (each American Depositary Share represents three Ordinary Shares). The sixth quarterly dividend will be payable to holders of record of Ordinary Shares (which includes holders of American Depositary Shares) as of the close of business on October 10, 2012 and will be paid on October 25, 2012. This dividend represents a quarterly payout of approximately $4.7 million in aggregate to Ordinary Shares, which Ordinary Shares exclude the shares repurchased by the Company from the open market pursuant to its share repurchase program. The payment of any future quarterly dividends will be at the discretion of the Board and will be dependent upon Spreadtrum's financial position, results of operations, available cash, cash flow, capital requirements and other factors deemed relevant by the Board.

About Spreadtrum Communications

Spreadtrum Communications, Inc. is a fabless semiconductor company that develops mobile chipset platforms for smartphones, feature phones and other consumer electronics products, supporting 2G, 3G and 4G wireless communications standards. Spreadtrum's solutions combine its highly integrated, power-efficient chipsets with customizable software and reference designs in a complete turnkey platform, enabling customers to achieve faster design cycles with a lower development cost. Spreadtrum's customers include global and China-based manufacturers developing mobile products for consumers in China and emerging markets around the world. For more information, visit www.spreadtrum.com.

Spreadtrum Communications, Inc.

CONTACT: Investor Contact - Diana Jovin, Investor Relations,+1-650-308-8148, or ir@spreadtrum.com

Web site: http://www.spreadtrum.com/

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Gates: New Windows 8 system is 'very exciting'

Associated Press/AP Online — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By EDITH M. LEDERER

NEW YORK - Microsoft founder Bill Gates on Thursday called the new Windows 8 operating system scheduled for release next month "a very exciting new product" and "a very big deal" for the world's largest software maker.

Gates said in an interview with The Associated Press that he is already using Windows 8 "and I'm very pleased with it."

Windows 8 is Microsoft's biggest overhaul of Windows in more than a decade and the company's attempt to stay relevant and exciting in a world where mobile gadgets have started to overshadow personal computers.

"Hardware partners are doing great things to take advantage of the features," Gates added. "It'll be a big deal."

Microsoft Corp. will release Windows 8 on Oct. 26 along with a new version of Internet Explorer.

Gates responded to a question about Windows 8 during an AP interview about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation's key role in a new global campaign to eradicate polio.

Windows 8 will replace Windows 7 on practically all personal computers sold to consumers.

It features major changes in the way consumers interact with their machines, and versions of it will also run on tablet computers and smartphones.

Although Microsoft has grown into much more than a maker of computer operating systems - providing computer services to corporations and Xbox gaming machines to game enthusiasts - Windows still accounts for a significant chunk of the company's annual revenue.

In 2011, Microsoft's "Windows & Windows Live" division generated 27 percent, or $19 billion, of the company's $69.9 billion in annual revenue.

Associated Press Technology Editor John Simons contributed to this report.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Analysts go ga-ga for Google

The New York Post — Wed, 26 Sep 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By Garett Sloane

Google's stock is in overdrive.

Maybe it's the driverless cars the tech giant is developing, but analysts predict the stock is headed toward new highs.

Google was one of the few bright spots in the down market yesterday, closing up 0.6 percent to $753.46. On Monday, the stock hit $748.90, beating its previous high set in November 2007.

The search giant is now the fifth most valuable company in the world behind Walmart, and the third most valuable tech company after Apple and Microsoft.

Shares have been on a tear since the beginning of summer, soaring 30 percent, and Wall Street expects the rally to continue into next year.

Mark Mahaney, an analyst with Citi, told clients that Google has more to gain in the next 12 months and slapped an $850 price target on the shares.

Google is the second-most coveted stock for hedge fund billionaires behind Apple, according to Seeking Alpha.

Its rise has coincided with a slide in shares of Facebook, considered one of the biggest threats to Google's online ad dominance. Since Facebook's glitch-filled IPO in May, Google is up 21 percent while Facebook is down 45 percent.

Google is also benefitting from the strength of its core advertising business and momentum from its Android mobile platform.

"Probably 98 percent of the mobile market will be split between Google and Apple, with Google leading Apple," wrote analyst Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research.

Google has taken some attention from Apple and its iPhone 5 since the launch last week. Consumers and tech experts criticized the phone's mapping software as inferior to Google's, giving the search giant an edge.

Meanwhile, Google's ad business is booming. A recent eMarketer report said it would beat Facebook in revenue from online display ads.

Chowdhry raised his price target on Google stock to $830 on the strength of the company's advertising business.

Google also is making headlines with far-out projects like its driverless cars. This week, California became the third state, along with Nevada and Florida, to legalize the advanced vehicles.

Originally published by Garett Sloane.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

HTC And Microsoft Unveil First Signature Windows Phones ; New Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC to be available through more than 150 mobile operators globally

PRNewswire — Tue, 18 Sep 2012 23:00:00 GMT

NEW YORK, Sept. 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- HTC, a global leader in mobile innovation and design, and Microsoft today unveiled the first signature Windows Phones, the stunning Windows(R) Phone 8X and 8S by HTC(R). The smartphones feature the new Windows Phone 8 operating system and boast iconic design, studio-quality sound with Beats Audio(TM) and incredible camera capabilities.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120620/SF27968LOGO)

"Pairing HTC's beautiful new Windows Phone 8X and 8S with our brand is a big milestone for both companies," said Steve Ballmer, CEO of Microsoft. "Together we are offering customers a clear choice and a truly unique experience. I'm thrilled to take our longstanding partnership to the next level."

"We've been inspired by Windows Phone 8 to create new smartphones that give the platform the iconic design and personality it deserves," said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. "Windows Phone has clearly emerged as one of the top mobile ecosystems and is competitive against any other smartphone platform in the world."

Iconic Design

The only phone with Live Tiles, Windows Phone has a clear, differentiated vision and the consumer experience has been widely recognized as being groundbreaking, innovative and fresh. HTC created the Windows Phone 8X and 8S to blend the virtual and the physical utilizing a three dimensional, pure uni-body design based on the Windows Phone Live Tiles. The Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC are perfectly sculpted with a dramatic taper making them feel magically thin in your hand.

Because color is such an integral part of the Windows Phone experience, HTC is bringing bold, sophisticated and adventurous colors in a premium matte finish to these devices. The Windows Phone 8X will come in a variety of colors including California Blue, Graphite Black, Flame Red and Limelight Yellow. The Windows Phone 8S by HTC will be available in Domino, Fiesta Red, Atlantic Blue and High-Rise Gray.

Capture and share your world

For the first time, HTC is introducing a 2.1mp, f/2.0 aperture, 88 degrees ultra-wide angle front-facing camera that allows up to four people and more to be captured at once. It also supports 1080p video capture. The rear camera sports an 8mp CMOS sensor with backside-illumination (BSI) for improved low-light performance, along with an f/2.0 aperture, 28mm lens and a dedicated imaging chip. A physical shutter button makes it quick and easy to capture spontaneous action, even if the phone is locked.

Spectacular Sound with Beats Audio

Exclusively available on HTC smartphones, Beats Audio provides authentic, studio-quality sound that delivers the spirit of the original recording. The Windows Phone 8X by HTC featuring Beats Audio also offers a unique audio amplifier powering the 3.5mm audio jack and the speaker, boosting the audio signal for even better sound no matter if you're listening to music, playing a game or watching a video.

Brilliant Display

The Windows Phone 8X by HTC features a beautiful, 4.3" HD- resolution super LCD 2 screen protected from everyday bumps and scrapes by lightweight Gorilla(R) Glass 2, while optical lamination reduces reflections and glare, ensuring you see every detail. The Windows Phone 8S by HTC boasts a bright super LCD 4" screen with Gorilla(R) Glass, allowing users to see the Windows Phone Live Tiles, and every message and photo, with crystal clarity and sparkling color.

Entertainment

With the Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC people can carry their favorite music, movies and photos with them wherever they go. With the Windows Phone Store and Xbox Live, it is easier than ever to enjoy the latest video, music and games on the move.

Availability

The Windows Phone 8X and 8S by HTC will be available beginning in November. Available through more than 150 carriers in 50+ countries, the Windows Phone 8X or 8S by HTC will be available from the world's top carriers including: United States: AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon Wireless. Europe: Orange, O2 Telefonica, MTS, Three UK, T-Mobile, and Vodafone Asia-Pacific: Chunghwa Telecom, Optus, Singapore Telecommunications Ltd (Singtel), Smartone, Telstra and Vodafone Australia.

About HTC

Founded in 1997, HTC Corp. (HTC) is the creator of many award- winning mobile devices and industry firsts. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC pushes the boundaries of design and technology to create innovative and personal experiences for consumers around the globe. HTC's portfolio includes smartphones and tablets powered by HTC Sense(R), a multilayered graphical user interface that vastly improves user experience. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). For more information, please visit www.htc.com.

The names of companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

SOURCE HTC Corp.

Originally published by HTC Corp..

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

At the big reveal, no big changes

The Washington Post — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By Hayley Tsukayama

Apple raised the curtain on its long-anticipated iPhone 5 on Wednesday, unveiling a design similar to past models that analysts nonetheless predicted would continue the company's otherworldly success.

Executives touted 200 enhancements - a much bigger screen, a slimmer profile, and numerous improvements to the iPhone's software and performance. That disappointed some financial analysts who said the phone only kept up with the growing competition in the smartphone market.

But few doubted it would be a hit. "It's the same phone but sleeker," said Sterne Agee analyst Shaw Wu. "They arguably could have done more, but - as the saying goes - if it ain't broke, don't fix it."

The influence of the device, which generates more than half of the company's profits, is clear to Wall Street. As Apple executives spoke, shares of related companies rose or fell, depending on whether the iPhone 5 boosted their prospects or signaled an ominous move into their spaces.

The streaming-music service Pandora saw a sharp jump when Apple didn't announce that it would offer a similar service, as had been rumored. Changes to Apple's earphones sent shares of headphone-maker Skullcandy down 4.5 percent.

Similarly disruptive were Apple's updates to its mobile software, now called iOS 6. Apple touted a new maps program with turn-by-turn directions, a development that could be fatal for GPS-makers and is aimed squarely at Google's popular map program.

At the company's presentation in San Francisco, which was covered obsessively by scores of bloggers and reporters, chief executive Tim Cook again acted more as a master of ceremonies than a keynote speaker, a departure from the style of Apple's late co-founder Steve Jobs, who died last fall. Absent, too, was talk of the intersection of liberal arts and Apple's heavily designed technology, a point on which Jobs often liked to expound.

That mantle increasingly seems to be taken up by one of Apple's major rivals, Amazon, whose chief executive, Jeff Bezos, spoke more broadly about the marriage of media content and technology last week as he introduced Amazon's latest tablets.

"There are a lot of things they could have done, especially with competitors trying everything," said Al Hilwa, an analyst for International Data Corp. "But they're not going to do something unless they can do it in a decisive way."

The iPhone 5's combination of tweaks is enough, analysts said, to keep its market share steady as the company faces tougher competition in an increasingly crowded smartphone market.

The design addresses several complaints from customers that Apple had fallen behind competitors such as Samsung and HTC. Wu, the Sterne Agee analyst, said a larger screen and the ability to connect to high-speed 4G LTE networks were critical improvements.

The screen is now four inches, measured diagonally, up from 3.5 inches. Apple executives also touted the iPhone 5's new dimensions (18 percent thinner than previous models) and weight (20 percent lighter), with Phil Schiller, the head of marketing, calling it "a thin and light, jewel-like device." The phone has less glass and a new metal back.

The executives noted the phone's new connector, which could force owners of previous iPhone models to buy new chargers, alarm clocks and other third-party devices if they want to upgrade. Apple also plans to sell an adapter.

Also intriguing were the company's updates to its iPod music players, which propelled Apple back to profitability more than a decade ago. Its high-end model, the iPod Touch, was enhanced with faster processors, a slimmer profile and the ability to display images on televisions, making it a threat to the digital-camera industry as well as gaming consoles. The device can also receive video calls over a wireless Internet connection and send text messages, making it the closest thing to a smartphone without a cellphone bill.

Apple's changes to its iTunes store, which give the service a cleaner layout, will make it easier for consumers to add music and movies to their Apple accounts, officials said.

The new iPhone will start at $199, and the price of the iPhone 4S will drop to $99 with a two-year contract. Apple's iPhone 4 will now be free with a contract on AT&T, Verizon and Sprint.

Apple's stock seesawed between gains and losses but was up about 1.4 percent in regular trading and topped $670 per share after hours.

tsukayamah@washpost.com

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Motorola Mobility Takes Screen Size and Battery Life to the Edge with Three New Smartphone Additions to RAZR Family ; More screen. More battery life. More compact. More colors. And the best of Google packed inside. Introducing the new RAZR M, RAZR HD and DROID RAZR MAXX HD

PRNewswire — Tue, 04 Sep 2012 23:00:00 GMT

LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., Sept. 5, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Speed, power, design and the best Android(TM) experiences around. Motorola Mobility is delivering all that and more with three new additions to its RAZR(TM) smartphone family: Motorola RAZR M, the full screen phone; the nonstop all-day entertainer Motorola RAZR HD; and the unmatched, live-forever battery of DROID RAZR MAXX HD by Motorola. All three Android-powered smartphones are built with top-of-the- line materials, are small in size, big on battery life and packed to the gills with the best experiences Google has to offer.

Pushing Screen Space to the EdgeMotorola RAZR M packs a big screen into a phone that fits in the palm of your hand. The Super AMOLED Advanced 4.3-inch display spans from edge-to-edge. The border you typically find on smartphones is virtually, in a word, gone. Even though it's smaller in size, you still get 40 percent more screen than the leading competitor*. You can type emails and texts easily with a wider keyboard, watch YouTube(TM) videos and movies on a wider screen and browse the Web with Chrome(TM) for Android without squinting. All on a long-lasting battery that is 40 percent more powerful than the competition*.

Motorola RAZR M is also easy to use. It comes with interactive, swipe-by-swipe tutorials that walk you through the setup and help customize your phone to your needs - no instruction manual required. While RAZR M already has a long-life battery, when you set up the SMARTACTIONS(TM) battery saving rules too, your phone settings will automatically adjust to squeeze even more from every charge.

Available in sleek black or stand out white, the Motorola RAZR M will be coming soon to consumers in several Asia Pacific countries. For those in the US, it's coming to the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network as DROID RAZR M by Motorola for the unbelievable price for $99.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement. All that power, speed and edge-to-edge beauty at a great price. No catch.

Go. All. Day.The new Motorola RAZR HD provides long-lasting battery performance for nonstop high definition entertainment. Its 4.7-inch HD display is the most compact smartphone in its class, designed for watching up to 10 hours of movies and TV shows or 6 hours of surfing the Web. You get the same sharp clarity as your HDTV, and beat the competition* with 85 percent greater color saturation and 50 percent more pixels per inch.

It's not all about looks though. If you feel like hitting the road, you can drive with confidence knowing you'll get up to 6 hours of voice-guided turn by turn GPS navigation all on a single charge. No matter where the day (or night) takes you, Motorola RAZR HD will keep up with 24 hours of battery performance.

Available in sleek black or stand out white, the Motorola RAZR HD will be coming soon to consumers in various countries throughout Asia Pacific, Europe, North America and Latin America. In the US, it will be available before the holidays on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network as DROID RAZR HD by Motorola. We'll provide more details on pricing and availability soon.

Long Live the BatteryNever have an "off" day again. DROID RAZR MAXX HD has the same features as Motorola RAZR HD, but takes battery life to a whole new level. We're talking 32 hours of performance1 with the longest-lasting LTE smartphone1. You can literally get through an entire Hollywood trilogy with 13 hours of straight video playback, up to 10 hours of YouTube HD content or surf the day away with up to 8 hours of web browsing. For those who eat, drink, work, play and sleep with their phones, life won't ever be the same.

DROID RAZR MAXX HD will be available before the holidays in black in the US on the Verizon Wireless 4G LTE network. More details on timing and pricing will be made close to availability dates.

Premium Materials and the Best of GoogleThese new smartphones are made from the premium design materials you expect from the Motorola RAZR family, including a Corning(R) Gorilla(R) Glass display, DuPont(TM) KEVLAR(R) fiber^ and a splash-guard coating. They're also built with the best of Google inside:

Chrome(TM) for Android, giving you a personalized Web experience anywhere you go

Google Play(TM), offering access to 600,000+ apps and games, millions of books and songs thousands of movies and TV shows

Google Maps(TM) for Android for voice-guided, turn-by-turn directions

Voice Actions for Android(TM), letting you control your phone with your voice

Google+(TM), which can automatically upload your photos to a private album online

YouTube(TM) for watching exclusive videos and live events in HD quality

Android 4.0.4, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Android 4.1, Jelly Bean, upgradeable

For more information and multimedia assets for Motorola RAZR M, Motorola RAZR HD and DROID RAZR MAXX HD, please visit our press kit at mediacenter.motorola.com.

Calling All Devs and Mod EnthusiastsThe beauty of Android lies in personalization and customization. For developer and custom ROM enthusiasts, DROID RAZR M and DROID RAZR HD will come in a special developer edition available online only through motorola.com in the U.S. Tweak, tinker and customize the day away by using Motorola's software tools to unlock the bootloader. Warning: not for the faint at heart. Warranties will be voided. Visit motorola.com/razrmdev or motorola.com/razrhddev for more information.

In countries outside the U.S., the device will ship with an unlockable bootloader where operators allow.

About Motorola MobilityMotorola Mobility, owned by Google, fuses innovative technology with human insights to create experiences that simplify, connect and enrich people's lives. Our portfolio includes converged mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets; wireless accessories; end-to-end video and data delivery; and management solutions, including set-tops and data-access devices. For more information, visit motorola.com/mobility.

Media Contacts:Danielle McNally+1 312-613- 702danielle.mcnally@motorola.com Motorola Mobility, Inc.

*As compared to Apple iPhone 4S^KEVLAR(R) not available on all smartphones. See Motorola.com for details.1Based on an average user profile that includes both usage and standby. Actual battery performance will vary and depends on signal strength, network configuration, features selected, and voice, data and other application usage patterns.

Certain features, services and applications are network dependent and may not be available in all areas; additional terms, conditions and/or charges may apply. Contact your service provider for details. All features, functionality and other product specifications are subject to change without notice or obligation.

MOTOROLA and the Stylized M Logo are trademarks or registered trademarks of Motorola Trademark Holdings, LLC. Android, Chrome, Google+, Google Maps, Google Play and YouTube are trademarks of Google Inc. Corning and Gorilla are registered trademarks of Corning Incorporated. KEVLAR is a registered trademark of DuPont used under license. DROID is a trademark of Lucasfilm Ltd. and its related companies. Used under license. LTE is a trademark of ETSI. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. (c) 2012 Motorola Mobility LLC. All rights reserved.

SOURCE Motorola Mobility

Originally published by Motorola Mobility.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Facebook focuses on business, not struggling stock

San Jose Mercury News — Tue, 28 Aug 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By Brandon Bailey, San Jose Mercury News

Aug. 29--Even as their company has lost nearly half its market value, Facebook executives have had little to say in public about the stock. Instead, they've talked up new ad programs and launched new features, including a beefed-up version of Facebook's iPhone service, aimed at boosting their fledgling mobile business.

But Facebook's stock market struggles pose looming challenges, analysts warn. Talented employees might start to look elsewhere, after watching their own shares lose millions of dollars in value. And some critics have questioned CEO Mark Zuckerberg's leadership.

"Stay focused and keep shipping," is the mantra that Zuckerberg, the company's founder and hoodie-wearing chief executive, has repeated to employees since his former dorm-room startup began selling stock to the public in the spring.

At $38 a share, the highly anticipated initial public offering valued the company in May at a stunning $104 billion, but the stock began a steep slide soon after. It closed Wednesday at $19.10 a share.

Although he has offered some reassurances to Facebook workers, Zuckerberg has kept a relatively low profile since the IPO. That has frustrated some investors and prompted critics to ask if the 28-year-old Harvard University dropout is qualified to lead a public company.

"There's a growing sense that Mark Zuckerberg,

talented though he may be, may be feeling in-over-his-hoodie as CEO of a multibillion-dollar company," said Sam Hamadeh of the New York investment research firm PrivCo.

Zuckerberg's job seems secure because he controls a majority of Facebook's voting shares. A Facebook spokesman declined to comment for this article. But company sources say top executives take investors' concerns seriously, while concentrating on building their business.

When pressed on a conference call after the company's last earnings report, Chief Financial Officer David Ebersman told analysts: "Obviously we're disappointed about how the stock has traded. But I think the important thing for us is to stay focused on the fact that we're the same company now as we were before."

Some experts say it's not surprising Zuckerberg would keep his head down while the company struggles to deliver on the exalted potential that early boosters saw in Facebook. Analysts say one of its biggest challenges is the mobile platform, which is drawing users faster than its desktop interface, while producing far less advertising revenue.

With nearly 1 billion active users around the globe, Facebook reported $1.2 billion in revenue last quarter and more than $10 billion in cash on hand. Its revenue growth is slowing, however, while the company has hiked spending at a faster rate.

The company is investing in new mobile initiatives for future growth, rather than focusing on short-term profit, Ebersman said last month. But that's not enough to assuage investors who'd like to see better earnings in the next quarter.

"If the guidance you can give investors would actually shore up their confidence, that's probably something you want to do. But sometimes it may be better to say as little as possible," said Simon Rodan, a management professor at San Jose State.

That may explain why Facebook made no public statements about the recent expiration of a 90-day "lockup" restriction that barred some early investors from selling their stock, Rodan suggested. Analysts say Silicon Valley financier Peter Thiel's subsequent move to sell more than 20 million shares only made the stock look worse, as shares fell below $19 for the first time.

The company faces a bigger milestone in the fall, when another lockup is scheduled to expire and 1.2 billion shares of stock, held by Facebook employees and other early investors, become eligible for sale. If those stockholders decide to sell, analysts warn they could flood the market and drive the price down more.

The November lockup expiration could also lead to an exodus of valuable talent. Experts say it's not uncommon for some workers at newly public companies to cash in their stock and move on to the next startup. Based on the company's filings, PrivCo's Hamadeh estimates Facebook employees hold about 450 million shares that will be eligible for sale in November.

Those employees have seen more than $8 billion in wealth wiped out since the IPO, as their shares have lost almost half their value. While individual holdings vary widely, that represents an average loss of $2 million on paper for each of Facebook's 4,000 employees.

"That's always a concern," said Brandon Cherry of the Hay Group, a human resources consulting firm that advises companies in Silicon Valley's competitive labor market. In addition to rival startups looking for talented engineers, he said, bigger companies like Google (GOOG) "may have an opportunity to pull some people out of Facebook."

Even so, most Facebook employees are not facing an issue that has surfaced at other tech companies, which grant options to buy stock at a certain price. With options, the employee only makes money if the stock goes higher. Most of Facebook's employee shares were granted outright, so they still have value at the market price, even if that has declined sharply.

"They're going to have some people leave. But I'd be really surprised to see mass defections of employees," said Stanford University business professor Paul Oyer, an expert on labor economics. "The company is still doing well."

In recent weeks, Zuckerberg has told workers that outsiders may not know or understand Facebook's plans. The sliding stock price is painful for some employees, Zuckerberg acknowledged at a companywide meeting, according to The Wall Street Journal, but he urged workers not to obsess over it.

Investors, however, are still worried about Facebook's challenges, said Rick Summer, a financial analyst at Morningstar. The company may be building its business, he added, "but I don't think that message has been communicated well to the investing public."

Contact Brandon Bailey at 408-920-5022. Follow him at Twitter.com/brandonbailey.

___

Visit the San Jose Mercury News (San Jose, Calif.) at www.mercurynews.com

Distributed by MCT Information Services

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Samsung ordered to pay Apple $1.05B in patent case

Associated Press/AP Online — Fri, 24 Aug 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By PAUL ELIAS

SAN JOSE, Calif. - After a year of scorched-earth litigation, a jury decided Friday that Samsung ripped off the innovative technology used by Apple to create its revolutionary iPhone and iPad.

The jury ordered Samsung to pay Apple $1.05 billion. An appeal is expected.

Apple Inc. filed its patent infringement lawsuit in April 2011 and engaged legions of the country's highest-paid patent lawyers to demand $2.5 billion from its top smartphone competitor. Samsung Electronics Co. fired back with its own lawsuit seeking $399 million.

The verdict, however, belonged to Apple, as the jury rejected all Samsung's claims against Apple. Jurors also decided against some of Apple's claims involving the two dozen Samsung devices at issue, declining to award the full $2.5 billion Apple demanded.

However, the jury found that several Samsung products illegally used such Apple creations as the "bounce-back" feature when a user scrolls to an end image, and the ability to zoom text with a tap of a finger.

As part of its lawsuit, Apple also demanded that Samsung pull its most popular cellphones and computer tablets from the U.S. market. A judge was expected to make that ruling at a later time.

After the verdicts were read, the judge sent the jury back to deliberate further on two inconsistencies involving about $2.5 million in damages awarded to Apple based on products jurors found didn't infringe Apple's patents. Those deliberations were continuing.

During closing arguments at the trial, Apple attorney Harold McElhinny claimed Samsung was having a "crisis of design" after the 2007 launch of the iPhone, and executives with the South Korean company were determined to illegally cash in on the success of the revolutionary device.

Samsung's lawyers countered that it was simply and legally giving consumers what they want: Smart phones with big screens. They said Samsung didn't violate any of Apple's patents and further alleged innovations claimed by Apple were actually created by other companies.

Samsung has emerged as one of Apple's biggest rivals and has overtaken Apple as the leading smartphone maker. Samsung's Galaxy line of phones run on Android, a mobile operating system that Google Inc. has given out for free to Samsung and other phone makers.

Samsung conceded that Apple makes great products but said it doesn't have a monopoly on the design of rectangle phones with rounded corners that it claimed it created.

Google entered the smartphone market while its then-CEO Eric Schmidt was on Apple's board, infuriating Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, who considered Android to be a blatant rip off of the iPhone's innovations.

After shoving Schmidt off Apple's board, Jobs vowed that Apple would resort to "thermonuclear war" to destroy Android and its allies.

The trial came after each side filed a blizzard of legal motions and refused advisories by U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh to settle the dispute out of court. Deliberations by the jury of seven men and two women began Wednesday.

Apple and Samsung combined account for more than half of global smartphone sales. Samsung has sold 22.7 million smartphones and tablets that Apple claimed uses its technology. McElhinny said those devices accounted for $8.16 billion in sales since June 2010.

From the beginning, legal experts and Wall Street analysts viewed Samsung as the underdog in the case. Apple's headquarters is a mere 10 miles from the San Jose courthouse, and jurors were picked from the heart of Silicon Valley where Jobs is a revered technological pioneer.

While the legal and technological issues were complex, patent expert Alexander I. Poltorak previously said the case would likely boil down to whether jurors believed Samsung's products look and feel almost identical to Apple's iPhone and iPad.

To overcome that challenge at trial, Samsung's lawyers argued that many of Apple's claims of innovation were either obvious concepts or ideas stolen from Sony Corp. and others. Experts called that line of argument a high-risk strategy because of Apple's reputation as an innovator.

Apple's lawyers argued there is almost no difference between Samsung products and those of Apple, and presented internal Samsung documents they said showed it copied Apple designs. Samsung lawyers insisted that several other companies and inventors had previously developed much of the Apple technology at issue.

The U.S. trial is just the latest skirmish between the two tech giants over product designs. Apple and Samsung have filed similar lawsuits in eight other countries, including South Korea, Germany, Japan, Italy, the Netherlands, Britain, France and Australia.

Samsung won a home court ruling earlier Friday in the global patent battle against Apple. Judges in Seoul said Samsung didn't copy the look and feel of the iPhone and ruled that Apple infringed on Samsung's wireless technology.

However, the judges also said Samsung violated Apple's technology behind the feature that causes a screen to bounce back when a user scrolls to an end image. Both sides were ordered to pay limited damages.

The Seoul ruling was a rare victory for Samsung in its arguments that Apple has infringed on its wireless technology patents. Samsung's claims have previously been shot down by courts in Europe, where judges have ruled that Samsung patents were part of industry standards that must be licensed under fair terms to competitors.

The U.S. case is one of some 50 lawsuits among myriad telecommunications companies jockeying for position in the burgeoning $219 billion market for computer tablets and smartphones.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Another test for Facebook ; Employees could cash in, putting more pressure on stock with lost luster

International Herald Tribune — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By SOMINI SENGUPTA

The company's stock price has plummeted since its I.P.O. this spring. With more than 1.6 billion shares eligible to come on the market, in waves, starting Thursday, the wild ride could continue.

The Facebook spring is over. The dog days of August have taken hold.

In May, when investors tripped over themselves to have a piece of Facebook, not even the skeptics predicted what has happened since. Three months after the initial public offering, shares have lost more than 40 percent of their value, closing at just under $21.81 on Friday, from $38 on May 18.

The stock began to dip immediately after its debut on the public markets, and at first, technical glitches with the offering were blamed. But these problems do not account for the stock's subsequent free fall, analysts and shareholders say, down nearly half, to $19.82, at one point on Aug. 2. That decline, they say, can be traced to several factors, among them the sheer size and price of the I.P.O., early exits by major investors and slowing growth. Not least, the stock seems to have been jinxed by Facebook's own fairy tale.

"The underwriters (and the media) did a great job of hyping Facebook leading up to the I.P.O., and the sell-side (including me) did a great job of hyping it after," Michael Pachter with Wedbush Securities, an equity research firm, wrote in an e-mail.

Still, some investors remain bullish. Facebook is profitable, it keeps its nearly one billion users glued for longer than any other Internet site, and it is aggressively experimenting with new ways to drum up advertising -- its main source of revenue.

Just this month, for instance, it began offering application developers a way to focus ads, and sought to diversify revenues by opening its site in Britain to online gambling.

In an analyst's report in late June, Citibank said the company could be hugely profitable in the long run but faced medium-term risks: "Easy to 'Like,' Hard to Love" is how the bank described the stock.

The next test for the stock could come soon. More than 1.6 billion shares will be eligible to come on the market in several waves, starting on Thursday, when a number of shareholders are allowed to sell. Investors may fear that an influx of shares could cause prices to fall even more, further dimming Facebook's star.

"It becomes a company perceived as vulnerable rather than invincible," said David B. Yoffie, a Harvard Business School professor who sits on the boards of several technology companies, though none that relate to or compete with Facebook.

Facebook executives say they remain focused on expanding. They declined to comment on the stock price, but in late July, on a conference call with analysts to discuss the second-quarter earnings, David A. Ebersman, the company's chief financial officer, said he was "disappointed" by the stock's dive. On Friday, Mr. Ebersman was in New York speaking to investors, current and potential.

One former Facebook employee, who did not want to be named because he did not want to damage his relationship with onetime co- workers, said he expected other employees to cash in their stock options as soon as they could, and predicted that the stock's woes could make it difficult to retain and hire talent. He no longer owns Facebook stock.

The former employee pointed out that many of the company's early big backers -- including Peter Thiel, an original angel investor, and Accel Partners, one of its first venture capital funders -- sold a hefty portion of their shares at the peak price.

Mark Zuckerberg, a co-founder and chief executive, sold a portion of his shares in the offering, to meet his tax bills, the company said. All told, the early backers sold more than $9 billion in shares. They do still own significant amounts.

Kevin Landis, chief investment officer of Firsthand Funds, an asset management firm, now must weigh what to do with his piece of Facebook. Late last year, he bought what were then coveted Facebook shares on the private market. On average, his shares are now worth about two-thirds of what he paid. Under the purchase terms, he cannot sell until late this year.

It is not "a good feeling," Mr. Landis said, but he added that he remained confident that with so many users and so much data on them, Facebook was destined to be the most lucrative advertising platform in the world.

"Right now there's a separation between the people who bought in because it was hot and the people who believed it could be one of the most valuable franchises," Mr. Landis said.

The company certainly was hot earlier this year. The public offering, was pegged at an overall valuation of more than $100 billion. And the company's growth prospects seemed extremely alluring.

Facebook had raised its user base at rocket speed since its start in 2004, to 845 million when it announced its bid to go public in February. Revenues had swelled to nearly $4 billion in 2011 -- an increase that was nearly fivefold in two years. Facebook was only beginning to figure out how to make money from the stream of personal data that its users reveal about themselves.

The company's Wall Street debut was the biggest to come out of Silicon Valley, far bigger than Google's in 2004 or Netscape's a decade earlier.

But Google did not set hard-to-beat expectations, and by the time it went public it had a sure way to make money. Apple has historically set consistently low expectations and typically surpasses them.

After its early dip, Facebook's stock rallied briefly in early June and settled at just under $30 by July. But in late July, it took a hit when Zynga, which makes games to play on Facebook and shares revenue with the company, reported weak earnings. Facebook investors were alarmed enough to send the stock down 8 percent.

The next morning, after Facebook's own earnings report, its shares slid another 14 percent.

In the end, the performance of the company is what will matter. Right now, Facebook's immediate challenge is making money on mobile, where more than half its worldwide users are logging in. It has only recently and cautiously started focusing on advertising in the mobile arena.

Regulatory scrutiny also continues to be a risk, depending on how the company handles user data.

After the earnings report, Facebook executives said their experiments in increasing revenue were bearing fruit.

The chief operating officer, Sheryl K. Sandberg, said on the analysts' call that Sponsored Stories, a form of Facebook advertising, was bringing in $1 million every day, half of which came from mobile users. Sponsored Stories turn a Facebook user's "like" of a brand page into brand endorsements to friends.

But Sponsored Stories are also the subject of a federal class- action lawsuit in California. A pending settlement could be costly.

The company reported that revenue increased 32 percent in the second quarter, to $1.18 billion, compared with an increase of 45 percent in the first quarter. From the second quarter of 2010, and in all of 2011, revenue expanded by 88 percent.

Ms. Sandberg said it would take more time for marketers to figure out Facebook. "It took a long time for the TV market for advertising to be understood," she told analysts. "We are still in the learning curve."

The morning after that earnings call, Morningstar, the investment research firm, predicted that the stock would continue falling for the next several quarters and advised investors to buy only when it fell to $19.20.

The price has hovered near $20 since. Mr. Pachter, the analyst, said he had begun to detect anticipation. Some prospective investors are asking: "When does it get stupid cheap?"

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Google cutting 4,000 at Motorola unit

Associated Press/AP Online — Sun, 12 Aug 2012 23:00:00 GMT

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif. - Google said Monday that it will cut about 4,000 jobs at its Motorola Mobility wireless phone business and will close or consolidate about one-third of Motorola's 90 locations.

The reductions represent about 20 percent of Motorola Mobility's 20,000 employees, and two-third of the job cuts will take place outside of the U. S. The company said Monday that Motorola Mobility has lost money in 14 of the past 16 quarters.

Google said the changes are intended to make the unit profitable, but warned that investors should expect the business' revenue to fluctuate over the next few quarters.

"While lower expenses are likely to lag the immediate negative impact to revenue, Google sees these actions as a key step for Motorola to achieve sustainable profitability," the company said in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Google said it also will shift Motorola Mobility's focus from simple wireless phones to more profitable devices.

The restructuring will cost Google about $275 million in severance costs, which will largely be recognized during the third quarter. The company also expects to book an unspecified amount in restructuring charges, mostly in the third quarter.

Mountain View, Calif.-based Google Inc. completed its $12.5 billion purchase of Motorola Mobility in May. The deal, the most expensive in the company's history, expanded it into the hardware business and pushed it deeper into the cellphone business, a market it entered four years before with the debut of its Android software.

The cellphone pioneer had struggled in the years leading up to the deal. It hadn't produced a mass-market hit since it introduced the Razr cellphone in 2005 and its market share has fallen.

Google shares rose $7.20 to $649.20 in premarket trading.

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Google agrees to record $22.5M fine on privacy

Associated Press/AP Online — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By MICHAEL LIEDTKE

SAN FRANCISCO - Google is paying a record $22.5 million fine to settle allegations that it broke a privacy promise by secretly tracking millions of Web surfers who use Apple's Safari browser.

The penalty announced Thursday by the Federal Trade Commission matches the figure that The Associated Press and other media outlets had reported last month. It's the largest fine that the FTC has imposed against a company for violating a previous agreement with the agency.

Google Inc. isn't admitting any wrongdoing in the latest settlement.

The fine isn't over Google's data collection, but for misrepresenting what was happening. Last October, Google had signed a 20-year agreement that, among other things, included a company pledge not to mislead consumers about its privacy practices.

The FTC opened its investigation into the Safari activities six months ago after a researcher at Stanford University revealed that Google had overridden Safari safeguards that are supposed to prevent outside parties from monitoring Web surfing activity without a user's permission.

The tracking occurs through snippets of computer coding, known as cookies, that help Internet services and advertisers target marketing pitches based on an analysis of the interests implied by a person's Web surfing activity.

Google immediately withdrew its intrusive technology from Safari after the manipulation was reported.

But the circumvention of Apple's built-in settings appeared to contradict a statement in Google's online help center assuring Safari users that they didn't need to do anything more to ensure their online activities wouldn't be logged by Google.

The apparent contradiction between Google's words and actions became the focal point of the FTC investigation.

Google's fine surpasses a nearly $19 million penalty that the FTC slapped on a telemarketer accused of duping people into believing they were donating to charities.

Google's stock price increased 60 cents to $642.83 in midday trading Thursday, after the FTC announcement.

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Multimillion-dollar verdict against RIM overturned

Associated Press/AP Online — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By ROB GILLIES

TORONTO - A U.S. judge has overturned a multimillion-dollar patent-infringement verdict against BlackBerry maker Research In Motion.

The judge determined that Mformation Technologies Inc., which makes software for managing mobile devices, failed to show that RIM infringed on a key patent in question.

A federal jury in San Francisco had awarded Mformation $147.2 million last month based on an infringement finding. The judge overseeing the case nullified the earlier decision Wednesday.

Mformation, of Edison, N.J., accused RIM in 2008 of infringing on its 1999 invention for remotely managing wireless devices. Mformation's software allows companies to remotely access employee cellphones to do software upgrades, change passwords or wipe data from phones that have been stolen.

Wednesday's decision was a small victory for RIM, a Canadian company that has been struggling with plummeting sales.

"We appreciate the Judge's careful consideration of this case. RIM did not infringe on Mformation's patent and we are pleased with this victory," Steve Zipperstein, RIM's chief legal officer, said in a statement Thursday. "The purpose of the patent system is to encourage innovation, but the system is still too often exploited in pursuit of other goals. Many policy makers have already recognized the need to address this problem and we call on others to join them as this case clearly highlights the significant need for continuing policy reform to help reduce the amount of resources wasted on unwarranted patent litigation."

The number of patent lawsuits in the technology sector has exploded in recent years. Apple and Samsung, for instance, are currently engaged in a high profile court dispute over the similarities between their smartphones and tablets.

In 2006, RIM. agreed to pay NTP $612.5 million to settle a four-year patent dispute. Though it never admitted wrongdoing, RIM acknowledged that customers had delayed placing new orders due to the threat of a court-ordered shutdown of BlackBerry service in the U.S.

Shares of RIM traded up 12 cents, or 1.5 percent, to $7.74 in early afternoon trading.

Mformation didn't immediately respond to messages seeking comment.

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Apple drops YouTube from its mobile OS

Irish Times — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Apple said that Google YouTube will not be included in the next version of its iOS, the software used in the iPhone and iPad, the latest evidence of escalating competition between the two companies.

"Our licence to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended," said Trudy Muller, a spokeswoman for Apple. "Customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser, and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store."

Apple chief executive Tim Cook, who took over from late co- founder Steve Jobs last August, has spearheaded the unveiling of new services - such as in-house mapping, beefed-up Siri software, address-bar search on its Safari browser - to help keep at bay Google and its Android mobile platform.

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Jury selected in trial over iPhone, iPad patents

Associated Press/AP Online — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By PAUL ELIAS

SAN FRANCISCO - A jury was selected Monday to decide the merits of Apple Inc.'s claims that Samsung Electronics Co.'s smartphones and computer tablets are illegal knockoffs of the iPhone and iPad.

Lawyers for both sides were expected to deliver their opening arguments Tuesday morning in a San Jose federal courtroom, followed by Apple calling its first witness, a company designer. The witness lists of both sides are long on experts, engineers and designers and short on familiar names. Apple CEO Tim Cook, for example, is not scheduled to testify.

Apple filed a lawsuit against Samsung last year alleging smartphones and computer tablets made by the world's largest technology company are illegal knockoffs of Apple's popular iPhone and iPad products.

Cupertino-based Apple is demanding $2.5 billion in damages, an award that would dwarf the largest patent-related verdict to date.

Samsung countered that Apple is doing the stealing and that some of the technology at issue - such as the rounded rectangular designs of smartphones and tablets - has been industry standards for years.

A jury of seven men and three women was selected to hear the case, which is just the latest skirmish between the two companies over product designs. A similar trial began last week, and the two companies have been fighting in courts in the United Kingdom and Germany.

Industrywide, some 50 lawsuits have been filed by myriad telecommunications companies jockeying for position in the burgeoning $219 billion market for smartphones and computer tablets.

U.S. District Judge Lucy Koh in San Jose last month ordered Samsung to pull its Galaxy 10.1 computer tablet from the U.S. market pending the outcome of the upcoming trial, though she barred Apple attorneys from telling the jurors about the ban.

"That's a pretty strong statement from the judge and shows you what she thinks about some of Apple's claims," said Brian Love, a Santa Clara University law professor and patent expert. He said that even though the case will be decided by 10 jurors, the judge has the authority to overrule their decision if she thinks they got it wrong.

"In some sense the big part of the case is not Apple's demands for damages but whether Samsung gets to sell its products," said Mark A. Lemley, a Stanford Law School professor and director of the Stanford Program in Law, Science, and Technology.

Lemley said a verdict in Apple's favor could send a message to consumers that Android-based products such as Samsung's are in legal jeopardy. A verdict in Samsung's favor, especially if it prevails on its demands that Apple pay its asking price to certain transmission technology it controls, could lead to higher-priced Apple products.

Lemley and other legal observers say it's rare that a patent battle with so much at stake doesn't settle short of a trial. Court-ordered mediation sessions attended by Cook and high-ranking Samsung officials failed to resolve the legal squabble, leading to a highly technical trial of mostly expert witnesses opining on patent laws and technology.

Lemley, Love and others say it also appears Apple was motivated to file the lawsuit, at least in part, by its late founder's public avowals that companies using Android to create smartphones and other products were brazenly stealing from Apple. To that end, Samsung's attorneys made an unsuccessful pitch to have the jury hear excerpts from Steve Jobs' authorized biography.

"I will spend my last dying breath if I need to, and I will spend every penny of Apple's $40 billion in the bank, to right this wrong," Jobs is quoted as saying in Walter Isaacson's book "Steve Jobs" published in November.

But the judge barred those statements in a ruling earlier this month.

In court papers filed last week, each company laid out its legal strategy in so-called trial briefs.

Apple lawyers argue there is almost no difference between Samsung's products and Apple's and that the South Korean company's internal documents show it copied Apple's iconic designs and its interface.

Samsung denies the allegation and counter-claims that Apple copied its iconic iPhone from Sony. Samsung lawyers noted the company has been developing mobile phones since 1991 and that Apple jumped into the market in 2007.

"One thing that is notable is that this trial is happening at all," said Love, the law professor and patent expert. He said that in an industry such as this where so many companies hold so many vital patents needed by all players, lawsuits are viewed as toying with "mutually assured destruction" and that most disputes are solved through "horse trading" and agreements to share intellectual property and royalties.

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Samsung Electronics' 2Q profit jumps 48 percent

Associated Press/AP Online — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea - Samsung Electronics said its second quarter profit rose 48 percent over a year earlier as customers flocked to get Galaxy smartphones in the absence of competitors.

The South Korean firm said Friday its net profit reached 5.2 trillion won ($4.5 billion) in the April-June quarter on revenue of 47.6 trillion won.

The earnings figure was a 3 percent rise from the previous quarter but was lower than a market consensus of 5.6 trillion won.

Samsung said its operating profit reached 6.7 trillion won, matching its guidance earlier this month.

Samsung said its mobile business that makes the Galaxy S3 smartphone was responsible for more than 60 percent of its operating profit, helping the firm outdo rivals even at one of the most challenging times for the global tech industry.

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NTT DOCOMO to Launch Smartphone for Beginners

JCN Newswire -Japan Corporate News Network — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Tokyo, July 26, 2012 - (JCN Newswire) - NTT DOCOMO, INC. announced today the August 1 launch of the Raku-Raku SMART PHONE, the first smartphone designed for users who are new to touchscreen operations.

The Raku-Raku SMART PHONE's touch screen mimics the impression of a conventional phone key, allowing users to first confirm where their finger is touching by highlighting the contact point and then requiring them to press more strongly to actually select the menu button or icon. The device confirms the selection with a slight vibration and click.

The smartphone boasts a generous 4-inch display with a simplified menu and large fonts for increased clarity and ease of use. The menu has three large, easy-to-understand buttons for the most commonly used functions-phone, email and phonebook-and also includes three programmable one-touch speed dial buttons. Additionally, users can access a dedicated telephone support center at the touch of a button on the home screen.

As a special introductory offer, a dedicated new "Raku-Raku Pake- hodai" flat-rate packet service will start with the launch of the Raku-Raku SMART PHONE, at the discounted rate of just 2,980 yen per month. DOCOMO is now accepting preorders at all DOCOMO shops.

Details of the Raku-Raku SMART PHONE are available at www.nttdocomo.com/pr/2012/001604.html.

About NTT DOCOMO

NTT DOCOMO is a world-leading mobile operator and growing provider of comprehensive services centered on mobility. The company serves over 58 million customers in Japan via advanced wireless networks, including a nationwide 3G network and one of the world's first commercial LTE networks. Leveraging its unique capabilities as a mobile operator, DOCOMO is a leading developer of cutting-edge technologies for NFC mobile payments, mobile GPS, mobile TV, intuitive mobile assistance, environmental monitoring, smart grids and much more. Overseas, the company provides technical and operational expertise to eight mobile operators and other partner companies. NTT DOCOMO is listed on the Tokyo (9437), London (NDCM) and New York (DCM) stock exchanges. Please visit www.nttdocomo.com for more information.

Contact:

Eijun Tanaka or So Hiroki

International PR

Public Relations Department

Tel: +81-3-5156-1366

Fax: +81-3-5501-3408

Website: www.nttdocomo.com

Inquiries may also be made through the following URL:

http://www.nttdocomo.com/contact

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AT&T to introduce shared-data plans

Associated Press/AP Online — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By PETER SVENSSON

NEW YORK - Following in Verizon's footsteps, AT&T Inc. said Wednesday that it will introduce wireless plans that let subscribers connect up to 10 phones or other devices.

Connected phones get unlimited calling and texting, and all devices get wireless data access. The devices tap into a limited pool of data usage, which gets renewed each month.

Verizon introduced its "Share Everything" plans on June 28, replacing nearly all of its traditional phone plans. AT&T says its "Mobile Share" plans will debut in late August, but it is keeping its current individual and family plans.

AT&T's prices will track closely with those of Verizon. One smartphone with 1 gigabyte of data will cost $85 per month with AT&T, compared with $90 with Verizon. Two smartphones and a tablet computer with 6 gigabytes of shared data will cost $170 on either carrier.

AT&T is the country's second-largest cellphone company, behind Verizon. AT&T, which is based in Dallas, has 76.8 million direct wireless customers, and millions more through wholesale arrangements.

AT&T's and Verizon's shared-data plans are intended to stimulate the adoption of non-phone devices such as tablet computers and USB modems for laptops by making monthly service cheaper. Analysts believe Verizon's plan will reduce its service revenue in the short term but pay off in the long term as families add more devices.

AT&T said earlier this year, before Verizon announced its plans, that it was looking at introducing shared data plans soon. It hadn't offered details then.

Under the "Mobile Share" plans, AT&T subscribers will pay a monthly fee for one smartphone and choose a bucket of data usage on top of that. Total costs will range from $85 for 1 gigabyte per month to $230 for 20 gigabytes.

After that, subscribers can add other devices to share that bucket of data, paying an extra monthly fee for each one. A basic, non-smartphone will cost $30 per month and a tablet, such as an iPad, will cost $10. Additional smartphones cost $30 to $45 each, depending on the size of the data plan.

AT&T faces a problem in that subscribers can move SIM cards, or subscriber identity modules, between devices. The SIM card identifies the devices to the network, and in the case of phones, contains the phone number. Subscribers will be tempted to move a SIM card from a basic phone, for which they pay $30 per month, to a smartphone, which can cost as much as $45 per month.

AT&T's chief marketing officer, David Christopher, said the company can tell which type of device a card resides in, but didn't specify how the company would handle wandering SIM cards.

"If a customer moves SIMs, we'll have to look at those situations and act appropriately if that happens," Christopher said.

SIM cards are rare in Verizon devices.

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Samsung to buy British chip firm CSR's mobile unit

Associated Press/AP Online — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea - Samsung Electronics Co. said it will buy British chip designer CSR's mobile connectivity and location technology business for $310 million in cash.

Samsung said Tuesday that the deal will give it rights to use CSR's patents related to Bluetooth, wireless-fidelity and the Global Positioning System that are used in hand-held devices including smartphones and tablet computers.

Samsung said it will also hire more than 300 employees of the British firm and take an equity stake in CSR by buying $34 million of its ordinary shares. Samsung aims to finalize the deal by the end of this year.

The South Korean chipmaker said the acquisition will strengthen its mobile application processor division. Samsung supplies mobile chips to global smartphone makers including Apple Inc.

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Sprint fires up new wireless data network

Associated Press/AP Online — Sun, 15 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By PETER SVENSSON

NEW YORK - Sprint says it has turned on its new wireless data network, providing a much-needed boost to the carrier, whose data speeds lag those of its largest competitors.

Sprint fired up the fourth-generation, or 4G, network in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, San Antonio and some smaller surrounding cities on Sunday. It uses "LTE," or "Long-Term Evolution," technology already in use by Verizon Wireless and AT&T Inc.

Four smartphones and one "mobile hotspot" are capable of using the network.

PC Magazine got early access to the network a month ago, and found that it's not quite as fast as Verizon's and AT&T's equivalents, but a big step up from Sprint Nextel Corp.'s older 3G, or third-generation, network and the 4G access it rents from Clearwire Corp.

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Google executive takes helm at Yahoo ; New chief's challenge: Create a vision and draw more advertising to site

International Herald Tribune — Tue, 17 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By NICOLE PERLROTH

Her challenge will not only be to resuscitate a struggling company, but to avoid the fate of so many other experienced executives who have run Yahoo.

It is as if there is a revolving door to the executive suite at Yahoo. So many have filed in and out over the years: Terry Semel, Jerry Yang, Carol Bartz and Scott Thompson. Marissa Mayer, a Google executive, has now joined the company as its fifth full-time chief executive in five years.

Her challenge will not only be to resuscitate a struggling company, but to avoid the fate of so many other experienced executives who have run Yahoo.

With 700 million monthly users, Yahoo commands one of the largest audiences on the Web. But the company, an Internet pioneer, has been unable to attract advertisers and increase revenue.

The company continues to cede a greater share of the advertising market to competitors, notably Facebook and Google. The many chief executives have frustrated shareholders with a reliance on cutting costs rather than finding new areas for innovation and growth.

The basic problem: The executives have done little to reverse Yahoo's identity crisis.

Yahoo, while not a dying company, has struggled to stay relevant after it missed the two biggest trends on the Internet: social networks and the move to mobile devices as the gateway to information and entertainment. That fact has not been lost on Yahoo's advertisers. Yahoo, once the biggest seller of display ads in the United States, ceded its crown to Facebook and Google last year.

While Facebook and Google enjoy a 16.8 percent and a 16.5 percent share, respectively, of the online display ad market in the United States this year, Yahoo's share has fallen to 9.1 percent -- a big drop from 2008, when the company's share stood at 18.4 percent -- according to eMarketer.

Ms. Mayer's first task will be to articulate a vision for Yahoo. She was the first female engineer hired by Google, and she spent 11 years there perfecting Google's Web search, still the dominant search engine, and became its most recognizable public face. She confidently appeared at conferences and on network morning shows to explain innovations in search and Gmail. The clean look of the search engine was credited to Ms. Mayer's sense of aesthetics.

"My focus at Google has been to deliver great end-user experiences, to delight and inspire our end users," Ms. Mayer said in an interview. "That is what I plan to do at Yahoo: Give the end user something valuable and delightful that makes them want to come to Yahoo every day."

In contrast to Google, Yahoo has no search engine. It turned over that business to Microsoft; people who go to Yahoo to find something on the Web see Microsoft's search engine, Bing. Also in contrast to Google, Yahoo's site is often cluttered and chaotic.

"Yahoo is getting more focused on products, and with the new board -- and direction of the company -- the timing was right," Ms. Mayer said.

Most recently, Ms. Mayer oversaw one of Google's next growth drivers: location-based products like Google Maps and Google Offers. Yahoo has lagged behind others in that area as well.

"She had a very instrumental role in creating the most powerful monetization engine in the history of the Internet," said Chris Sacca, a former Google employee, now an early-stage Internet investor. "I remember her ship as being the tightest-run, as well as the most rewarding for the members of her team."

Yahoo employees, Mr. Sacca added, "need a vision to rally around and a leader they believe can take them there. I think Marissa is that person."

Ms. Mayer, 37, also inherits a company that has been through considerable turmoil. Yahoo's board fired Ms. Bartz, an experienced former chief executive of Autodesk, by cellphone last September. It then hired Mr. Thompson, a former executive with the PayPal unit of eBay. But only four months into the job, he was forced to resign amid questions about exaggerated academic credentials on his resume.

The choice of Ms. Mayer surprised many analysts who had expected that Ross Levinsohn, the company's interim chief executive and head of its global media operation, would get the job. Mr. Levinsohn acted as if he would. He had been interviewing candidates for top staff jobs as recently as mid-June. Ms. Mayer said Yahoo's board had first approached her June 18.

Mr. Levinsohn was not available for an interview after the announcement.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Verizon Wireless Introduces GameTanium(TM): First Game Subscription App For Android(TM) Devices Offering Unlimited Game Play ; Service to Meet Consumer Demand for Mobile Gaming Across Smartphones and Tablets

PRNewswire — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

BASKING RIDGE, N.J. and NEW YORK, July 13, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Verizon Wireless is giving mobile gaming a boost today with the launch of Exent's GameTanium(TM), a new mobile game subscription service for Android(TM) smartphones and tablets available now, exclusively to Verizon Wireless customers. Powered by Verizon Wireless' network, GameTanium provides unlimited access to more than 100 of the best Android smartphone games and more than 50 tablet games, including hits like Doodle God(TM), Fruit Ninja and World of Goo for the low monthly fee of $5.99 per device.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://www.multivu.com/mnr/45074-verizon-wireless- exent-gametanium-unlimited-android-game-subscription-app

GameTanium takes the guesswork out of finding the best games while offering consumers the convenience of a one-stop gaming destination at a great value. The easy-to-use interface lets customers explore and discover high-quality games picked by Exent's editorial board. Enhanced editorial features such as parental ratings, rich game imagery and reviews immerse customers in the game before downloading. Plus, fast download speeds and no advertisements give customers uninterrupted game play.

"GameTanium provides our Android customers with unlimited access to more than 100 games at a great value," said Kristi Crum, executive director of marketing, Verizon Wireless. "Working with Exent has enabled us to immerse customers into the mobile gaming frontier and ultimately bring high-quality gaming options powered by 4G LTE."

"We are excited to bring the launch of the GameTanium smartphone and tablet service to Verizon Wireless' customer base," says Zvi Levgoren, founder and chief executive officer, Exent. "The speed and power of Verizon Wireless' network allows for a rich mobile gaming experience for Verizon Wireless customers to enjoy."

The GameTanium smartphone and tablet apps can be downloaded from Verizon Apps on more than 30 Android smartphones and two Android tablets, including DROID RAZR(TM) by Motorola, DROID INCREDIBLE 4G LTE by HTC and DROID XYBOARD 8.2 by Motorola. Customers are encouraged to try out the service with a free trial, providing unlimited access for three days. After the three-day trial, the service is $5.99 per month and will appear on customers' monthly bill. A Verizon Wireless data plan is required and usage may count towards a customer's data allowance.

GameTanium users can access an in-app Help Center with Frequently Asked Questions and live GameTanium Customer Support which provides phone, SMS chat and email support Monday through Friday, between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. E.T.

For more information about Verizon Wireless products and services, visit www.verizonwireless.com.

About Verizon Wireless Verizon Wireless operates the nation's largest 4G LTE network and largest, most reliable 3G network. The company serves 93.0 million retail customers, including 88.0 million retail postpaid customers. Headquartered in Basking Ridge, N.J., with 80,000 employees nationwide, Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE, NASDAQ: VZ) and Vodafone (LSE, NASDAQ: VOD). For more information, visit www.verizonwireless.com. To preview and request broadcast-quality video footage and high-resolution stills of Verizon Wireless operations, log on to the Verizon Wireless Multimedia Library at www.verizonwireless.com/multimedia.

About Exent Exent is the world's leading Games on Demand provider, delivering thousands of premium games across mobile, tablet, PC and TV platforms through all-you-can-play subscription and free, ad supported offerings to millions of gamers monthly. With its unrivaled monetization and programming expertise, Exent's Built with GameTanium services power the Games on Demand offerings for the world's leading broadband service providers and mobile operators. For more information visit www.exent.com.

SOURCE Verizon Wireless

Originally published by Verizon Wireless.

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Verizon and Zipit Wireless Deliver new Smartphone App, VoIP Capabilities

PRNewswire — Wed, 11 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

NEW YORK and GREENVILLE, S.C., July 12, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Zipit Wireless, a pioneer in connected platform solutions, today launched a new smartphone app for mobile phones and tablets, and added VoIP capabilities to the Zipit Enterprise Critical Messaging Solution, available exclusively through Verizon. These new options will further enable health care professionals to accelerate their critical decision-making and provide better collaborative care for patients.

Traditionally, health care workers have lacked easy access to secure, real-time tools, an issue that can delay critical care to patients. Deployed in more than 100 health care settings around the country, the Zipit Enterprise Critical Messaging Solution now brings new efficiency and accountability to the health care market through both its smartphone app and purpose-built device, delivering messages within 10 seconds. Both options are compliant with federal HIPAA and HITECH privacy standards and are interoperable with each other.

Available on iOS and Android-powered devices, the Zipit mobile app delivers the same basic functionality and critical communications features as the Zipit device, including multiple priority level pages, continuous alerts similar to a traditional pager, and secure two-way communications with other Zipit mobile app and device users.

"Verizon is focused on helping transform the U.S. health care system through health IT," said Peter Tippett, chief medical officer and vice president of Verizon Connected Healthcare. "This solution is another good example of how technology can truly enable better patient care by helping health care professionals to connect instantly."

Frank Greer, CEO of Zipit Wireless, said, "Our customers have asked for a critical messaging solution that is easy to use. Today Zipit delivers the only comprehensive solution that offers both a smartphone app and a purpose-built device with unmatched accountability for increased flexibility and ease of communication."

Many health care customers are finding Zipit meets their requirements. Ty Knox, chief information officer at Saint Francis Healthcare, a Catholic Health East regional health corporation that piloted the entire Zipit Enterprise Critical Messaging Solution suite and is now using it, said: "I'm sold on this solution. The information provided to us through the Zipit Remote Administration Portal is unparalleled. It will hold all of us to a level of accountability that hasn't been available before and enable our staff to achieve higher levels of collaborative care."

The Zipit mobile application enables SMS/text through a dedicated ZText number and Call2Page capabilities for phone-initiated pages, logging all communication in the Zipit cloud infrastructure for true transparency and accountability. Through these enhancements, it is now possible to call, text, message and page a user running the Zipit Confirm mobile application.

At the University of California, Irvine, Director of IT Greg Ackerman found that "the Zipit Confirm app is a great tool for our nursing professionals."

"This solution eliminates the typical 'page-and-pray' process while enabling efficiencies that save time and improve direct patient care," he said.

VoIP Feature Provides Richer Functionality for Zipit Device

The new VoIP feature converts the Zipit Now device into a single, low-cost, unified communications solution that can handle all enterprise-critical communications needs including paging, secure chat, SMS and voice calls. Enabled over Wi-Fi, this capability gives health care workers the ability to make and receive phone calls when connected to their internally managed Wi-Fi network.

The Zipit VoIP feature is compatible with select enterprise PBX systems and cloud-based PBX systems with SIP capability.

Ideal for a Range of Industries

Built to exceed the rigorous reliability demands and privacy standards of the health care industry, the Zipit Solution is fast becoming recognized across vertical markets as a tool to improve critical communications in the hotel and manufacturing industries. This system allows for simple, easy integration with other platforms, relying on the cloud to save customers time and money.

For more information about Zipit Wireless or to obtain licensing information on the new features, visit http://www.zipitwireless.com.

About Zipit Wireless

Zipit Wireless ("Zipit") a leader in innovative communications and M2M solutions focuses on delivering fully connected, wireless solutions that use the company's unique strengths in wireless connectivity, user-friendly device software, and cloud-based infrastructure to access IP services. The technology created by Zipit has been shipping in Zipit branded and top tier branded solutions since 2004 - enabling people to connect to people and their personalized Internet content. For more information on Zipit Wireless and our products, please visit www.zipitwireless.com.

About Verizon

Verizon Communications Inc. , headquartered in New York, is a global leader in delivering broadband and other wireless and wireline communications services to consumer, business, government and wholesale customers. Verizon Wireless operates America's most reliable wireless network, with 93 million retail customers nationwide. Verizon also provides converged communications, information and entertainment services over America's most advanced fiber-optic network, and delivers integrated business solutions to customers in more than 150 countries, including all of the Fortune 500. A Dow 30 company with $111 billion in 2011 revenues, Verizon employs a diverse workforce of nearly 192,000. For more information, visit www.verizon.com.

Verizon

CONTACT: Katherine Smoak Davis, Smoak PR for Zipit Wireless,+1-864-235-8330, Katherine@SmoakPR.com; or Janet Brumfield, Verizon,+1-614-723-1060, Janet.brumfield@verizon.com

Web site: http://www.verizon.com/

Company News On-Call: http://www.prnewswire.com/comp/094251.html

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Huawei to tout higher-end phones at Taste of Chicago

Chicago Tribune — Tue, 10 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By Wailin Wong, Chicago Tribune

July 11--Huawei Device USA, a unit of Chinese telecom company Huawei Technologies Co., is kicking off a new brand awareness campaign at the Taste of Chicago this week, seeking to grab the attention of U.S. consumers in a crowded field of mobile phone rivals.

Huawei has been around for a quarter century, but it entered the U.S. market with a mobile device only in 2007. It has historically been known as a manufacturer of telecom network infrastructure. Locally, the company made headlines early last year when it sued Motorola Solutions Inc. over the Schaumburg company's sale of its networks business to Nokia Siemens Networks. Huawei, which had developed network technology to resell under the Motorola brand, said the deal would transfer its trade secrets to a major rival. Motorola also had sued Huawei for alleged theft of trade secrets. The two companies agreed to settle all pending litigation in April 2011, allowing the transaction with Nokia Siemens to close.

Huawei has devices with all four of the country's major carriers and is known for making affordable smartphones, based on Google's Android operating system, that liberated "a segment (of consumers) that was locked into feature phones because of price point," said Bill Plummer, vice president of public affairs for Huawei in the U.S. Now the company is focused on adding depth and breadth to its portfolio, offering higher-end and premium smartphones.

The company will be at Taste with carrier partner T-Mobile, showing off two new Android smartphones that will go on sale this summer. The two phones are additions to T-Mobile's myTouch line and each is priced at $49.99 after a $50 rebate and a two-year contract.

"There was a nice rhythm to the middle of summer and the middle of the country," Plummer said about choosing the Taste of Chicago for the company's campaign kick-off. The Chicago event will be the only one in the Midwest; the company plans to travel to cities such as Los Angeles, Baltimore and Miami for future stops. The campaign also features the launch of Huawei Device USA's social media presence on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, as well as an online competition where consumers submit ideas for what they'd like to do with a smartphone.

Huawei has its U.S. headquarters in Plano, Texas, and employs 1,800 people in the country, with most based in Plano and at its flagship research and development center in Silicon Valley. In the Chicago area, the company has about 40 people working in an office in Rolling Meadows.

wawong@tribune.com -- Twitter @VelocityWong

___

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Apple secures iPad trademark in China

United Press International — Sun, 01 Jul 2012 23:00:00 GMT

A Chinese court confirmed a payment of $60 million from U.S. technology giant Apple that grants it the iPad trademark for China.

Apple had paid about $60,000 to a Chinese firm, Proview Technology, some years ago, The New York Times reported Monday.

The deal covered several Asian countries. But when the iPad was launched in China with great success, Proview sued, saying the agreement with Apple did not cover China.

Proview attorney Xie Xianghui said the two companies had reached an agreement and the court had approved it.

The Chinese company is close to liquidation. The $60 million will be used to pay off some of its creditors, the Times said.

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RIM posts big Q1 loss, to cut 5,000 jobs

Associated Press/AP Online — Wed, 27 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By ROB GILLIES

TORONTO - Struggling BlackBerry maker Research in Motion Ltd. revealed Thursday that its business is crumbling faster than thought.

The Canadian company posted worse results for its latest quarter than analysts had expected. It's cutting 5,000 jobs and delaying the launch of its new phone operating system, BlackBerry 10, on which it's pinning its hope for a comeback.

After several delays, the first phone with BlackBerry 10 was expected later this year. It will be delayed even longer, to the first quarter of next year, CEO Thorsten Heins said.

The delay comes just as North Americans are abandoning BlackBerrys for iPhones and Android phones. Analysts have long said the new BlackBerrys will come out too late to reverse RIM's fortunes. RIM's hopes hang on the BlackBerry 10 system, which is meant to offer the multimedia, Internet browsing and apps experience customers now demand.

The jobs cuts are part of a previously announced initiative to cut $1 billion in annual costs this year. They represent about a quarter of RIM's work force.

"It is necessary to change the scale and refocus the company," Heins said on a conference call with analysts.

"I fully understand the impact a workforce reduction of this size has on our employees and the communities in which we operate. I assure you that we wouldn't move forward with a change of this size if we didn't think it was critical for our future."

RIM shares plunged $1.66, or 18 percent, to $7.47 in extended trading, after the release of the results. If they hold that level into regular trading Friday, they will set a new nine-year low.

Heins acknowledged that he delivered "a lot of tough news."

"This was a challenging quarter for the company on many fronts," he said. "And I am not satisfied with the financial performance we are reporting today."

Heins said releasing BlackBerry 10 simply wasn't realistic this year.

"I will not deliver a product to the market that is not ready to meet the needs of our customers," he said. "There will be no compromise on this issue."

RIM lost $518 million, or 99 cents a share, in its fiscal first quarter, which ended June 2. This compares with a profit of $695 million, or $1.33 per share, a year ago.

Excluding impairment charges, the latest loss was 37 cents per share. Analysts polled by FactSet were expecting a loss of 3 cents.

Revenue fell 43 percent to $2.8 billion, well below analyst expectations at $3.1 billion.

"When a technology gets old, it's not a slow fade. It's a sharp cliff," said Colin Gillis, an analyst with BGC Financial.

"There is very little market for old technology."

Michael Walkley, an analyst with Canaccord, called the BlackBerry 10 delay a dire sign.

"The biggest disappointment is the delay of the BlackBerry 10," he said. "It's extremely challenging for them to turn around the business when their new smartphone launching that late."

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Google unveils small-screen tablet Nexus 7

Xinhua News Agency - CEIS — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

Google unveils small-screen tablet Nexus 7 SAN FRANCISCO, June 27 (Xinhua) -- Google on Wednesday introduced a 7-inch tablet called Nexus 7 with the support of the latest version of its Android mobile operating system.

Running the new Android 4.1 code-named Jelly Bean, the tablet, which comes with 8 GB and 16 GB models, has a 1280800 HD display, a quad-core CPU and a 12-core graphics processor.

"That's basically 16 cores," said Hugo Barra, director of product management for Android, at Google's annual developer conference Google I/O.

It also features a front-facing camera and can shoot HD video of nine hours. With a weight of 340 grams, the tablet is Wi-Fi only and has built-in NFC (Near Field Communication) chips for mobile payment.

Barra noted that the new tablet is built for the rich content on the company's online store Google Play, including music, magazines, movies as well as apps.

Nexus 7 is manufactured by Asus. The 8 GB model is priced at 199 U.S. dollars and the 16 GB model at 249 dollars. Consumers now can pre-order the device which will be shipped within two to three weeks.

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Samsung disappointed with US ban on Galaxy tablet

Associated Press/AP Online — Tue, 26 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

SEOUL, South Korea - Samsung Electronics Co. says a U.S. court has prohibited it from making or selling the Galaxy Tab 10.1 tablet computer in the United States.

Samsung said it is disappointed that the court ruled that its tablet infringes patented Apple technology.

Apple last year asked the U.S. District Court of Northern California to block sales of the Galaxy Tab 10.1, firing up a legal battle between the two electronics giants over smartphones and tablet computers.

The latest court order is the second decision that rules Samsung's Galaxy tablet copied the iPad's design. In 2011, a German court issued an injunction against the Galaxy tablet upon Apple's request.

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T-Mobile USA to buy, swap spectrum with Verizon

Associated Press/AP Online — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By PETER SVENSSON

NEW YORK - Verizon Wireless on Monday said that it has agreed to sell some wireless spectrum rights to T-Mobile USA and swap others, in a continuing quest to get regulators to approve a bigger spectrum deal it has worked out with a consortium of cable companies and another wireless carrier.

The deal with T-Mobile USA would improve the ability of both companies to offer fast wireless data services, Verizon said. T-Mobile, the fourth-largest U.S. wireless companies, is particularly starved for spectrum compared to its larger competitors, and regulators are likely to favor a deal that would improve its position.

Neither T-Mobile nor Verizon said what T-Mobile would pay Verizon for the spectrum.

The Verizon-T-Mobile deal is contingent on Verizon getting government approval for three deals to buy spectrum from cable companies and Leap Wireless for a total of about $4 billion. Those deals were struck in November and December, but have met resistance from public-interest groups who say the cellphone company, already the nation's largest, doesn't need more spectrum and shouldn't be cozying up to competitors such as the cable companies.

T-Mobile had also opposed the Verizon-cable deals, saying they would place an "excessive concentration" of spectrum in Verizon's hands. Verizon is the largest cellphone company in the country, and has a relatively strong spectrum position already.

Harold Feld, senior vice president at public-interest group Public Knowledge, said Verizon is trying to "buy off" T-Mobile.

"The true danger lies not only in the concentration of spectrum in the hands of the leading wireless provider, but with the cozy, cartel-like arrangements between Verizon, Comcast, and the other (cable companies) party to the deal," Feld said.

Cellphone companies need spectrum rights, or slots on the airwaves, to do business much like radio stations do. With the growth of wireless data use, cellphone companies have a newfound need for more spectrum. The amount of spectrum they have available in any area determines the maximum download speeds they can offer.

To get the deals with the cable companies and Leap cleared, Verizon has already offered to auction other airwaves it isn't using.

T-Mobile, which is a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG of Germany, said the Verizon deal encompasses spectrum in 218 areas, and would improve its spectrum position in 15 of the top 25 markets in the U.S., notably Philadelphia, Washington, Detroit and Seattle.

T-Mobile hopes to put the spectrum to use as early as next year, if the Federal Communications Commission approves the deal this summer.

"This is good for T-Mobile and good for consumers because it will enable T-Mobile to compete even more vigorously with other wireless carriers," T-Mobile USA CEO Philipp Humm said, in a statement.

Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of Verizon Communications Inc. of New York and Vodafone Group PLC of Britain.

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Microsoft to Acquire Yammer

PRNewswire — Sun, 24 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

REDMOND, Wash. and SAN FRANCISCO, June 25, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Microsoft Corp. and Yammer Inc. today announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement under which Microsoft will acquire Yammer, a leading provider of enterprise social networks, for $1.2 billion in cash. Yammer will join the Microsoft Office Division, led by division President Kurt DelBene, and the team will continue to report to current CEO David Sacks.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGO)

"The acquisition of Yammer underscores our commitment to deliver technology that businesses need and people love," said Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft. "Yammer adds a best-in-class enterprise social networking service to Microsoft's growing portfolio of complementary cloud services."

Launched in 2008, Yammer now has more than 5 million corporate users, including employees at 85 percent of the Fortune 500. The service allows employees to join a secure, private social network for free and then makes it easy for companies to convert a grassroots movement into companywide strategic initiative.

Yammer will continue to develop its standalone service and maintain its commitment to simplicity, innovation and cross-platform experiences. Moving forward, Microsoft plans to accelerate Yammer's adoption alongside complementary offerings from Microsoft SharePoint, Office 365, Microsoft Dynamics and Skype.

"When we started Yammer four years ago, we set out to do something big," Sacks said. "We had a vision for how social networking could change the way we work. Joining Microsoft will accelerate that vision and give us access to the technologies, expertise and resources we'll need to scale and innovate."

The acquisition is subject to customary closing conditions, including regulatory approval.

About Yammer

Yammer (www.yammer.com) is a leading provider of enterprise social networks with over 5 million verified corporate users including employees of more than 85 percent of the Fortune 500. The basic version of Yammer is free, and customers can pay to upgrade their network to receive advanced administrative and security controls, integrations with enterprise applications, priority customer service and a designated customer success manager.

About Microsoft

Founded in 1975, Microsoft (Nasdaq "MSFT") is the worldwide leader in software, services and solutions that help people and businesses realize their full potential.

Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements, which are any predictions, projections or other statements about future events. Actual results may differ materially from these forward-looking statements because of a variety of risks and uncertainties about our business, which we describe in our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including our Forms 10-K and 10-Q. We do not undertake any duty to update any forward-looking statement.

Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20000822/MSFTLOGOPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

Microsoft Corp.

CONTACT: Rich Adolph, Waggener Edstrom Worldwide for Microsoft,+1-253-858-8249, richa@waggeneredstrom.com, or Rapid Response Team,Waggener Edstrom Worldwide for Microsoft, +1-503-443-7070,rrt@waggeneredstrom.com; or Shelley Risk, Yammer, +1-415-205-9805,srisk@yammer-inc.com

Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/

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HTC Announces Support for Windows Phone 8

PRNewswire — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

TAIPEI, Taiwan, June 20, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- HTC, a global leader in mobile design and innovation, today pledged its ongoing support of Microsoft by backing the new Windows Phone 8 platform. Building on the two companies' long mobile partnership dating back to 2000 and including more than 40 million phones sold, HTC will be bringing new Windows Phone 8 smartphones to market later this year.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120620/SF27968LOGO)

"HTC is committed to Windows Phone more than ever and we are excited to be bringing new Windows Phone 8-enabled smartphones to customers later this year," said Peter Chou, CEO of HTC Corporation. "With the introduction of Windows Phone in 2010, Microsoft initiated a new powerful mobile ecosystem with a consumer experience that was both unique and user friendly."

"We have seen great momentum for Windows Phone since its launch in 2010, with 100,000 apps now in the Marketplace," said Terry Myerson, Corporate Vice President of Windows Phone at Microsoft. "HTC is one of our closest partners and we share a common goal in driving people-centric innovation, which makes it easy to work together. We can't wait to see how HTC brings Windows Phone 8 to its product portfolio."

About HTC

Founded in 1997, HTC Corp. (HTC) is the creator of many award-winning mobile devices and industry firsts. By putting people at the center of everything it does, HTC pushes the boundaries of design and technology to create innovative and personal experiences for consumers around the globe. HTC's portfolio includes smartphones and tablets powered by HTC Sense(TM), a multilayered graphical user interface that vastly improves user experience. HTC is listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE: 2498). For more information, please visit www.htc.com.

The names of companies and products mentioned herein may be the trademarks of their respective owners.

Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20120620/SF27968LOGOPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

HTC Corp.

CONTACT: Waggener Edstrom, For HTC, +1-425-638-7000, htcpr@wagged.com

Web site: http://www.htc.com/

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Bigger bet on data ; Bharti Airtel's decision to acquire a Qualcomm unit shows it is serious about broadband wireless. Qualcomm wins, too.

Business Today — Sat, 23 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By Sunny Sen

Early in June 2010, when bids to broadband wireless access (BWA) licences were finalised, San Diego, US-based Qualcomm was a surprise winner. The chipmaker had won licences in four telecom circles, including Delhi and Mumbai, to offer high speed data services using what are popularly called fourth-generation (4G) services.

Almost two years later, on May 24, Qualcomm announced Bharti Airtel had picked up a 49 per cent stake in Wireless Business Services Pvt Ltd, the chipmaker's BWA licensee here in India. Wireless Business Services was a joint venture between Qualcomm, Tulip Telecom and Global Holding Corporation.

Bharti, which has already launched BWA services in Kolkata and Bangalore, paid $165 million, or Rs 924 crore, to acquire Tulip and Global Holding's combined 26 per cent stake and rest by way of fresh equity.

The deal is a crucial milestone for Bharti, India's biggest phone services firm by revenues and customers, and is expected to shape the contours of the nascent data services industry in India. For Qualcomm, the reason to buy BWA licences - it has done similar deals in the United States and Britain - was only to steer services towards its so-called Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology, which is seen as the clear choice of network operators when it comes to offering wireless data services.

"Qualcomm's investment in the BWA venture was to accelerate the deployment of LTE," said Avneesh Agrawal, President, India & South Asia, and Senior Vice President, Qualcomm, at an event before the Bharti deal announcement. An industry executive who has been following Qualcomm's moves said the company's bids were aimed at winning in Delhi and Mumbai, areas with the highest data traffic in India.

Access to these two circles is the big gain for Bharti, which won four BWA licences in the 2010 auctions. Wireless Business Services's other two licences in Haryana and Kerala give Bharti access to markets it was not present in. The acquired licences take its count of circles with BWA licences to eight - positioning it better to fight Mukesh Ambanicontrolled Infotel, a 4G aspirant with 22 licences.

3G Progression

The other benefit of the deal is that Bharti gets access to scarce wireless frequency. Telecom operators, who bid nearly Rs 1 trillion (one trillion equals 100,000 crore) for third generation (3G) licences, received rights to just 5 megahertz (MHz) of spectrum each. With an acute spectrum scarcity affecting voice services on current second generation networks, operators who won 3G spectrum have been routing voice traffic to such frequencies. This has resulted in poor data access speeds that would have otherwise been delivered on 3G spectrum.

This is where BWA licences, which come bundled with access to 20 MHz spectrum capacity, become valuable. When voice traffic on 3G networks increases substantially, the data can be sent and received over LTE networks. "This will provide opportunities to operators to do optimal way of routing the traffic," says Mohammad T. Chowdhury, telecom industry leader at PwC.

Others believe big customer uptake in the immediate future will come from customers using data cards with notebook computers.

"The biggest near term impact of LTE will be on data cards. Airtel will also do the same - drive their data card business with LTE," says Dunigan O'Keeffe, who heads the India telecom practice and Asia M&A strategy at consultancy Bain & Co.

Data as a business may be very small today but in a nation with low Internet penetration, mobile data services hold huge promise. By 2015, a Qualcomm presentation estimates that there will be 112 million 3G users and another 16 million LTE users in India.

Further, given that LTE is the next stage of 3G technologies, offering both services on the same device - smartphones or tablets - is already a reality. Qualcomm not just receives proportionate royalty on LTE devices sold, it can count on two of India's biggest bets on 4G being made on LTE - Reliance's Infotel and Airtel. Plus, it had made a handsome premium on the cash it invested to acquire its BWA licences. By end of 2014, it expects to exit the joint venture and completely hand it over to Bharti.

Companies like Nokia Siemens Networks which bought Motorola's network business have started offering LTE networks and devices and will soon start shipping them. "We will be providing our devices to Bharti for their TDLTE network in Maharashtra," says Samar Mittal, Head of Sales Development at NSN.

Meanwhile, according to the industry executive quoted earlier in this story without name, Bharti is in talks with Augere, which holds one of the two BWA slots in Madhya Pradesh. The Airtel-Qualcomm story may be just beginning.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Nokia to cut 10,000 jobs by end of 2013

Associated Press/AP Online — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By MATTI HUUHTANEN

HELSINKI - Nokia Corp. will lay off 10,000 jobs globally and close plants by the end of 2013, the company said Thursday, in a further drive to save costs and streamline operations.

Nokia said it will shut some research and development projects, including in Ulm, Germany, and Burnaby, Canada, and close its core manufacturing plant in Finland - in Salo - where it will only maintain research and development operations.

"These planned reductions are a difficult consequence of the intended actions we believe we must take to ensure Nokia's long-term competitive strength," Nokia CEO Stephen said. "We are increasing our focus on the products and services that our consumers value most while continuing to invest in the innovation that has always defined Nokia."

Nokia also gave an updated outlook, saying that "competitive industry dynamics" in the second quarter would hit its smartphone sector to a "somewhat greater extent than previously expected" and that no improvement was expected in the third quarter.

The company's share price plunged more than 7 percent to (EURO)2.05 ($2.63) in morning trading in Helsinki.

Although the Finnish cellphone maker said it plans "to significantly reduce its operating expenses," it will continue to focus on smartphones as well as cheaper feature phones and intends to expand location-based services.

Nokia also announced that private equity group EQT VI had agreed to acquire Vertu, its global luxury phone brand, but that the Finnish company would keep a 10 percent minority shareholding. No financial terms were announced.

Nokia said that two members of its top leadership team will leave - Mary McDowell, the head of the struggling mobile phones unit and Niklas Savander, head of the markets sector.

The loss-making company has been struggling against fierce competition from Apple Inc.'s iPhone and other makers using Google Inc.'s popular Android software, including Samsung Electronics Co. and HTC of Taiwan. It is also being squeezed in the low-end by Asian manufacturers making cheaper phones, such as China's ZTE.

In April, Nokia announced one of its worst quarterly results ever, blaming tough competition for a (EURO)929 million net loss in the first quarter as sales plunged, especially in the smartphone market. Boston-based Strategy Analytics said Nokia had significantly lost market share to Samsung, which pushed it out as the world's largest seller of cellphones by volume, grabbing a 25 percent global market share against Nokia's 22 percent.

Last year, Nokia was still the world's top cellphone maker with annual unit sales of some 419 million devices, but in the last quarter of the year it posted a net loss of (EURO)1.07 billion, a marked reverse from the 745 million profit a year earlier.

It has fared even worse in the smartphone sector against Samsung and Apple by dropping to third place in the first quarter of the year, dropping to 12 million units against Samsung's 44.5 million and Apple's 35 million.

"Nokia is significantly increasing its cost reduction target for devices and services in support of the streamlined strategy announced today," said CFO Timo Ihamuotila. "With these planned actions, we believe our devices (and) services business has a clear path to profitability. Nokia intends to maintain its strong financial position while proceeding aggressively with actions aimed at creating shareholder value."

Last year, Nokia announced more than 10,000 layoffs, aimed at cutting operating expenses by (EURO)1 billion ($1.31 billion) by 2013.

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Translating smartphone is boon for DoCoMo

Japan Times — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By Kazuaki Nagata, Japan Times, Tokyo

June 12--Smartphones are getting smarter. Maybe nearly as smart as a multilingual interpreter.

This month, NTT DoCoMo Inc. began its second trial of a translation service that converts Japanese into 10 languages -- English, Korean, Chinese, German, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Thai and Indonesian -- and vice versa.

Japan's biggest telecom carrier said the service seems to have high potential, especially among companies that regularly communicate with foreigners.

While there are still challenges, such as improving the accuracy of the translation and establishing a profitable business model, the service is part of the firm's strategy to make its network more "intelligent" to differentiate it from rival carriers amid stiffening competition.

"Our company is about creating communications. By incorporating translation capability, we think people can enjoy a broader range of communications," said Akihiro Nishimoto, assistant manager of network services and architecture group of the core network development department at the DoCoMo R&D Center.

The service, which is available as an application for DoCoMo smartphones powered by Google Inc.'s Android operating system, can be operated in two modes.

The first helps people in a face-to-face conversation communicate by using a smartphone as an interpreter.

For instance, in the English-Japanese translation setting, if a person says "Hello. How are you?" into the phone, the device will display the phrase in both Japanese and English. An automated voice will then say the translated version.

In this way, the users hold a conversation by taking turns speaking into the phone. If the speakers are not together, they can have a conversation over the phone. The only difference is a second handset is necessary.

If an English speaker is talking to a Japanese, the original English phrases will be delivered first and then a Japanese translation will follow. The text will also be displayed, just as in the face-to-face communication mode.

However, only three languages -- English, Chinese and Korean -- are available for the phone conversation mode.

If the phrases are concise and not very complicated, the translations are fairly accurate.

Voice recognition is affected, however, by ambient noise. It can also be thrown off by dialects.

"There are still a lot of things that need to be improved," admitted Nishimoto of DoCoMo.

"We'll be working to improve the accuracy of translation and recognition. We also hope to increase the number of languages."

Because the application accesses Internet databases, the wealth of available vocabulary and phrases must be increased to improve the accuracy.

Another hurdle is coming up with a profitable business model. Nishimoto said DoCoMo is still analyzing the needs of the market.

Through the first trial, he said the carrier found interest from companies that regularly interact with foreigners, including Universal Studios Japan and LaLaport Management Co., which operates large shopping malls. The city of Hiroshima also found the service useful.

With the rapid spread of smartphones, DoCoMo is seeking to survive in a competitive market by increasing the "intelligence" of its network, and language interpretation can play an important role in the strategy.

Before the surge of smartphones, major carriers in Japan had more control over the mobile communications business because Internet content was provided through the carriers' own systems.

In the case of DoCoMo, its iMode Internet service was a platform for content providers.

Now that the main platform holders in the smartphone era are Google and Apple Inc., the carriers are at risk of becoming mere infrastructure providers.

Nishimoto said the translation service is one way for DoCoMo to avoid that path.

The second trial kicked off June 1 and is targeting 10,000 users. The service is available at the DoCoMo site. To apply, interested parties must access the site with a smartphone and fill out a survey. During the trial, the service is free except for making international calls.

The trial will end in September, and DoCoMo plans to officially launch the service within the current fiscal year.

___

Visit the Japan Times (Tokyo) at www.japantimes.co.jp/

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Verizon to ditch phone plans, go with shared plans

Associated Press/AP Online — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By PETER SVENSSON

NEW YORK - Verizon Wireless, the nation's largest cellphone company, is dropping nearly all of its phone plans in favor of pricing schemes that allow consumers to share data usage among up to ten phones and other devices.

The new plans will let individuals add non-phone devices like tablets and laptops to their plans, as well as the phones of family members.

The change takes effect June 28.

It's the biggest revamp in wireless pricing in years, and one that's likely to be copied by other carriers. AT&T Inc. has already said that it's looking at introducing shared-data plans soon.

Verizon's new "Share Everything" plans include unlimited phone calls and texting, and will start at $90 per month for one smartphone and 1 gigabyte of data. If used only with a smartphone, "Share Everything" prices are lower than for current plans with unlimited calling and texting, but higher than plans with limited calling and texting.

Bigger savings will come for those who add more devices like tablets to their plans. In such cases, the new pricing system will be cheaper compared to getting separate data plans for each device. That gives Verizon a chance to capitalize on the growing popularity of tablets. Few consumers put tablets on data plans, probably because they dread paying an extra $30 or so per month, on top of their phone bills.

Under "Share Everything," adding a tablet to a plan will cost $10 per month. Adding a USB data stick for a laptop will cost $20.

Verizon's limited-calling and texting plans will disappear, except for one $40-per-month plan intended for "dumb" phones. Verizon is keeping its limited-data plans for single non-phone devices, like the $30 tablet plan.

Current Verizon customers will be able to switch to the new plans or keep their old ones, with one exception. Those who have unlimited-data plans for their smartphones won't be able to move those to new phones, unless they pay the full, unsubsidized price for those phones. (For example, an iPhone 4S that costs $200 with a two-year contract costs $650 unsubsidized, with no contract.)

Verizon stopped signing people up for unlimited-data plans last summer. The industry as a whole is moving away from the plans, since the data capacity of their networks is limited.

Under the new plans, subscribers can stop worrying about monitoring the number of calling minutes or text messages their families use in a month, but they'll have to keep a close eye on data consumption. Verizon will allow subscribers to adjust their data allowance from month to month, but if they go over their monthly allotment, that will cost $15 per gigabyte.

The data allowances start at $50 per month for 1 gigabyte. That's enough for prudent two-smartphone users who use Wi-Fi a lot, but Verizon recommends getting 2 gigabytes for $60. After that, each additional 2 gigabytes cost an extra $10 per month.

Under "Share Everything," Verizon will stop charging extra for letting devices act as "mobile Wi-Fi hotspots." That means subscribers who have a recent smartphone could use it to connect a tablet to the Internet, without paying the extra $10 per month for a tablet.

Verizon had telegraphed the move toward shared plans, but had not revealed the details or pricing.

Verizon Wireless is a joint venture of New York-based phone company Verizon Communications Inc. and Vodafone Group PLC, a British cellphone company with wide international interests.

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Facebook rolling out central location for apps

Associated Press/AP Online — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By BARBARA ORTUTAY

NEW YORK - There's more to Facebook apps than "Angry Birds" and Pinterest, but many users wouldn't know that because there hasn't been a good, central way to find them.

Facebook Inc. is trying to change that. On Thursday, Facebook is beginning to roll out its App Center to its nearly 1 billion users, so they can find games and other applications with social components more easily.

The App Center, available on Facebook's website and on Apple and Android mobile devices, will recommend apps to users based on their interests, the types of apps their friends like, or the apps they have liked in the past.

Many people are introduced to Facebook apps in the form of sometimes-annoying requests from their friends for poker partners, Scrabble buddies or neighbors on virtual farms. Those requests haven't necessarily matched a user's specific interests.

The new App Center will initially feature about 600 Facebook apps, mostly games, reviewed by the company to meet its quality standards. Games, such as Zynga's "CityVille" and Electronic Arts' "The Sims," are the most popular types of apps on Facebook.

But the company is betting that by personalizing recommendations to users, people will find new types of applications beyond games, along with games that are more interesting to them. There are all sorts of social apps that use Facebook, from music-listening services such as Spotify to what-you-just-ate tools such as Foodspotting.

"We spend all day, every day building a platform (so that) great social games and apps can exist," said Matt Wyndowe, product manager for apps and games at Facebook. But a common question has long been where to find them. "Up until now, we haven't had a great answer to that question."

Facebook said that on mobile devices, the App Center won't compete with other app stores, such as Apple's or Google's. Rather, the App Center will send users to those other stores to download the programs. People can also get mobile apps from their regular computers by using a feature called "send to mobile."

Among the roughly 600 applications included in the App Center at launch will be the Nike Plus GPS running app, which lets users track their runs and broadcast it to their Facebook feed. Ricky Engelberg, whose title at Nike is experience director at digital sport, said having a place where apps are showcased will "let more people be part of the Nike Plus community."

The App Center, which Facebook announced last month, will be rolled out to U.S. users beginning Thursday night and to everyone else over the coming weeks.

---

Online:

http://www.facebook.com/appcenter

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Samsung fights Apple move to block Galaxy sales

Associated Press/AP Online — Wed, 06 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By YOUKYUNG LEE

SEOUL, South Korea - Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it will fight Apple's move to stop U.S. sales of its new Galaxy phone in the latest flare-up of an intellectual property battle between the world's top smartphone makers.

Samsung said it will vigorously oppose Apple's request for a court to ban sales of the Galaxy S III smartphone and still plans to go ahead with the device's scheduled release in the U.S. on June 21.

The South Korean company said in a statement that it will "demonstrate to the court that the Galaxy S III is innovative and distinctive."

On Tuesday, Apple Inc. asked a U.S. district court to temporarily ban sales of the S III smartphone before its launch in the United States. The maker of the iPhone accused Samsung of infringing two Apple patents.

The request, if accepted by the U.S. District Court for Northern California, would deal a blow to Samsung's attempt to get a headstart on sales of Apple's next iPhone.

The S III smartphone went on sale in Europe on May 29 and will be offered by around 300 mobile carriers in Asia and North America later this month.

The early launch puts Samsung in a favorable position to take a bigger chunk of the lucrative smartphone market. While Apple is keeping mum on its annual iPhone upgrade, many analysts expect the new iPhone to go on sale as early as July.

Samsung has become the biggest threat to Apple's clout in the mobile market as its Galaxy series of smartphones won popularity among consumers seeking an Android-powered device.

Most market research firms say Samsung overtook Apple in smartphone shipments for the first time during the first three months of this year.

Samsung and Apple have been embroiled in bitter patent lawsuits in North America, Europe and Asia since Apple accused Samsung of copying its iPhone in April 2011.

Chief executives of the two companies met in San Francisco last month after a court instructed them to negotiate, but the talks didn't produce a settlement.

Amid the legal battles, the two companies continue to do business with each other.

Samsung counts Apple as among its largest buyers of chips and display screens while Apple relies on Samsung for mobile components.

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Telefonica and Vodafone in U.K. joint venture

International Herald Tribune — Thu, 07 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By KEVIN J O'BRIEN

The two carriers will combine their wireless grids and build a superfast network to compete with the market leader, a joint venture of T-Mobile and France Telecom.

Telefonica and Vodafone said Thursday that they planned to combine their wireless phone grids in Britain and jointly build a superfast network to keep pace with the market leader, Everything Everywhere, a joint venture of T-Mobile and France Telecom.

Combining the networks of O2 U.K., the No.2 British operator owned by Telefonica of Spain, and the British mobile business Vodafone U.K., the No.3, will enable the carriers to split the costs of building a national mobile broadband network next year using Long Term Evolution, or LTE, technology. The British government plans to sell broadcast spectrum for LTE service by the end of this year.

At a news conference in London, the Vodafone U.K. chief executive, Guy Laurence, and the Telefonica U.K. chief executive, Ronan Dunne, said the carriers would continue to operate competing services and would even bid against each other in Britain's coming 4G spectrum auction. But the combination will let both save on operating and equipment costs.

"One physical grid running independent networks will mean greater efficiency, fewer site builds, broader coverage and, crucially, investment in innovation and better competition for the customer," Mr. Dunne said.

Europe's mobile phone market has about 60 distinct network operators, according to the GSM Association, a London group representing the industry. That level of infrastructure is about three times the density in North America and Asia, and operators are increasingly collaborating on grids with rivals to reduce operating costs and future upgrades.

Vodafone and Telefonica plan to place their British networks into a 50-50 venture, which will encompass a combined 18,500 cell tower masts, an increase of about 40 percent for each operator. Telefonica already shares its network with Vodafone in Spain and with T-Mobile in the Czech Republic. The British venture expands on a previous equipment sharing partnership called Cornerstone between O2 and Vodafone begun in 2009.

The costs of building LTE networks in saturated European markets has also prompted Telenor, a Norwegian operator, and Tele2, a Swedish operator, to merge their networks in Sweden. In Germany, both O2, the country's No.3 mobile operator, and E-Plus, the No.4 that is owned by KPN of the Netherlands, are examining venture options.

"As network quality perceptions are becoming more about how fast and reliable networks are in any location rather than who has the best coverage, there is less and less logic in every operator in a market having their own entirely independent network infrastructure," said Philip Kendall, an analyst at Strategy Analytics in Milton Keynes, England.

Mr. Dunne, the O2 chief executive, said the operators would investigate ways to cut up to 10 percent of their combined cellphone masts.

In a note to clients, Sanford C. Bernstein, a New York investment fund manager, said the network venture could generate up to EUR 1.5 billion, or $1.9 billion, in savings for each operator. Telefonica shares were down 0.5 percent in late trading in Madrid, while shares of Vodafone were up 0.3 percent in London.

The network venture aims to help O2 and Vodafone keep pace with Everything Everywhere, which was created in 2010 and displaced O2 as Britain's biggest operator.

Mr. Laurence, the Vodafone U.K. chief executive, said the collaboration was limited to network sharing. Vodafone and Telefonica did not discuss and had no plans to pursue a full merger of their British businesses, he said.

"There is no merger, full stop," Mr. Laurence said during a conference call.

Under the agreement, Telefonica will operate the combined grid in the eastern part of Britain, including Northern Ireland and most of Scotland, and Vodafone will handle western England and Wales. The operators said they would not share their separate broadcast spectrum or other aspects of their businesses.

Mr. Laurence said that Vodafone and Telefonica would continue to pay each other legally mandated termination fees to connect each others' calls, even though they are now being carried on a jointly run network. Those fees, set by the British government, effectively raise the cost of off-network calling.

The alliance is not expected to eliminate the interconnection fees O2 and Vodafone customers now pay for off-network calls between the two operators.

But the cost savings for Vodafone and Telefonica from building a faster, joint LTE network will give both companies more leeway to compete against each other on new packaging and pricing to British consumers.

Mr. Dunne said operators were in discussion with the British regulator, Ofcom, and did not expect obstacles. Everything Everywhere also is in a landline broadband network venture with another competitor, Three U.K.

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Samsung Galaxy S III Coming to Five Major Carriers Beginning in June

BUSINESS WIRE — Sun, 03 Jun 2012 23:00:00 GMT

In an industry first, Samsung delivers the same iconic smartphone design and premium content sharing experience with customized AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular services starting from $199

MWW Group for Samsung Mobile

Ashley Lane Wimberly, 214-532-6276

alane@mww.com

Logo: http://www.samsung.com

U.S. consumers on five major service providers will now be able to own the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S III(TM). Galaxy S III, optimized for peak performance on the nation's fastest 4G LTE and HSPA+ 42 networks, will be launching with AT&T, Sprint, T- Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular starting in June. Exact pricing and retail availability will be announced by each of the five carriers in the coming weeks.

Samsung Galaxy S III, optimized for peak performance on the nation's fastest 4G LTE and HSPA+ 42 networks, will be launching with AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon Wireless and U.S. Cellular starting in June. (Photo: Business Wire)

"The U.S. launch of the Galaxy S III is the most anticipated launch of the year. As promised, we are delivering the 'next big thing' for U.S. customers and across all major carriers," said Dale Sohn, president of Samsung Telecommunications America. "Galaxy S III introduces new technological innovation and takes sharing to the next level."

With the Galaxy S III, Samsung is setting a new standard for smartphones. This device was designed to be lightweight, durable and powerful. The Galaxy S III weighs 4.7 ounces and is 8.6 millimeters thin, making it lighter and sleeker than other leading smartphones, including several competitor models with smaller displays. The brilliant 4.8 inch display extends to an ultra-thin bezel to maximize the viewing area. The Galaxy S III delivers impressive processing power to allow more applications to be accessible simultaneously.

The Galaxy S III goes far beyond content consumption to content sharing. Continuing its history of innovation, Samsung has simplified how consumers share content and control the device with a single touch, through enhanced gesture technology or the simple movement of the eyes.

Sharing Made Simple

The content sharing experience on the Galaxy S III addresses the sharing needs of consumers, whether it's sharing and editing a presentation with a large group in real-time, sending digital images to several other smartphones at the same time or transferring large files within seconds from one phone to another. Further, these sharing experiences are simple and require little, if any, set-up.

Sharing With Multiple Devices

-- The Galaxy S III introduces the next evolution of Samsung's content sharing service with AllShare Play. This service automatically notifies the Galaxy S III to Samsung HDTVs, mobile tablets, laptops and other consumer electronic devices on the same network that are ready to receive video files. Users can also remotely access files from devices on other networks.

Sharing with Groups

-- With AllShare Group Cast on the Galaxy S III and a Wi-Fi network, users can share and collaborate on documents, presentations or images in real-time with multiple friends or co-workers' without loading the file separately.

-- With Share Shot, become the official photographer for a group of friends. There's no need to send photos and video via email, MMS or a USB drive. Users can quickly and seamlessly share pictures taken with the Galaxy S III's 8 megapixel camera to other phones from up to 200 feet away. Once the Galaxy S III is synched with chosen devices, the pictures are automatically shared.

Sharing Smartphone to Smartphone

-- S-Beam is an industry first, providing fast, easy transfer of large files, such as videos and documents, with a single touch of the Galaxy S III without needing a Wi-Fi connection or cell signal. A 1GB movie file can be shared as quickly as three minutes and a 10MB music file can be transferred in seconds by simply touching another GALAXY S III phone.

Smartphone Simplicity

-- The S-Voice feature on the Galaxy S III offers much more than just asking and answering questions. S-Voice allows users to control the applications and services used most with words instead of touch. Use S-Voice to turn the volume up or down on the music player, answer or reject incoming calls, shut off or choose to snooze the alarm clock, or take a picture by saying "smile" or "cheese."

-- Smart Stay puts the "smart" in smartphones. With Smart Stay, the Galaxy S III tracks the user's eye to ensure the device screen is always on while you're looking at it. By knowing when you are looking at the screen, it doesn't dim the backlight or timeout to an idle screen.

-- Motion simplifies and short cuts many common functions including converting a text message to a call by simply raising the phone to the ear, tapping the top of the phone to go to the top of an email and list of emails or contacts, and alerting to missed call or text message.

-- The capabilities of the Galaxy S III's 8 megapixel camera are far beyond point and shoot. Burst Shot captures still pictures at a rapid-fire pace at three images per second with zero shutter lag; and Best Shot recommends the best picture to keep based on colors, lighting and clarity. The Galaxy S III shoots and plays back 1080p HD quality video with a backside illuminated sensor that improves performance in low light environments, and provides the ability to capture a photo during videoing

-- Watching video while downloading a large file or service is seamless with Pop Up Play. Pop Up Play allows you to watch any side- loaded video content while operating any application in full- screen, background view at the same time. Video running on Pop Up Play can be moved anywhere on top of the full screen, much like picture-in-picture capabilities on large screen TVs.

Powerful Performance

The Galaxy S III includes Android(TM) 4.0 (Ice Cream Sandwich) with TouchWiz enhancements, a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 1.5 GHz dual core CPU and 2GB of internal RAM to provide high-speed performance enabling efficient and seamless multi-tasking. The dual-core processor offers competitive speeds and performance as leading quad- core processors without sacrificing valuable battery life. The brilliant 4.8-inch HD Super AMOLED touchscreen display brings content to life, without compromising the device's true pocketability. The expansive display is protected by Gorilla Glass 2.0 to guard against cracks and scratches and provide enhanced touchscreen responsiveness.

The Galaxy S III, which comes in Marble White and Pebble Blue, is powered by a removable 2100 mAh battery for extended use on a single charge. Users can store large libraries of photos, videos and music onboard the Galaxy S III with expandable memory to compliment the standard 16GB or 32GB of onboard storage.

"The Galaxy S III is the most innovative smartphone on the market today. It is an industry first to see five major carriers align behind the launch of a single device virtually simultaneously," said Todd Pendleton, Chief Marketing Officer for Samsung Telecommunications America. "To support the immense excitement for the Galaxy S III we will execute our biggest marketing campaign ever. Consumers won't be able to miss why this device is the must- have smartphone."

For more information:

-- Visit us at www.facebook.com/samsungmobileusa

1 Number one mobile phone provider in the U.S. and global claim for Samsung Mobile based upon reported shipment data, according to Strategy Analytics, Q1 2012 U.S. Market Share and Global Market Share Handset Shipment Reports.

About Samsung Mobile

Samsung Mobile (Samsung Telecommunications America, LLC), a Dallas-based subsidiary of Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., researches, develops and markets wireless handsets and telecommunications products throughout North America. For more information, please visit www.samsungwireless.com.

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies with 2011 consolidated sales of US$143.1 billion. Employing approximately 206,000 people in 197 offices across 72 countries, the company operates two separate organizations to coordinate its nine independent business units: Digital Media & Communications, comprising Visual Display, Mobile Communications, Telecommunication Systems, Digital Appliances, IT Solutions, and Digital Imaging; and Device Solutions, consisting of Memory, System LSI and LED. Recognized for its industry-leading performance across a range of economic, environmental and social criteria, Samsung Electronics was named the world's most sustainable technology company in the 2011 Dow Jones Sustainability Index. For more information, please visit www.samsung.com.

Photos/Multimedia Gallery Available: http://www.businesswire.com/ cgi-bin/mmg.cgi?eid=50298114&lang=en

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Google files patent claim against Microsoft, Nokia

Associated Press/AP Online — Wed, 30 May 2012 23:00:00 GMT

SAN FRANCISCO - Google is accusing Microsoft and Nokia of abusing mobile patents in a way that will drive up the prices of cellphones and other wireless devices.

The claims were spelled out Thursday in a complaint filed with European regulators. Google Inc. also shared the complaint with the U.S. Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission.

The complaint centers on 2,000 wireless patents that Nokia and Microsoft Corp. sold in September to MOSAID Technologies Inc., a company that specializes in collecting royalties on intellectual property. That deal was struck after Nokia agreed to switch its cellphones over to Microsoft's Windows operating system.

About 1,200 of the patents transferred to MOSAID are considered to be essential elements in the operation of most mobile devices.

Microsoft declined comment Thursday. Nokia couldn't be immediately reached.

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New smartphone display to do HD video

United Press International — Mon, 28 May 2012 23:00:00 GMT

South Korea's LG Display says its newly announced 5-inch 1080p HD mobile display with a 16:9 aspect ratio is designed with HD content in mind.

A technology dubbed Advanced High Performance In-Plane Switching will provide wide viewing angles, fast response times and improved brightness efficiency, the company said Monday in a release.

The new display could leapfrog Apple's highly regarded Retina Display when it debuts in smartphones during the second half of this year, Engadget.com reported.

"As smartphones become increasingly valued for how well they do multimedia and with the rapid growth of LTE enabling faster large file transfers, our new 5-inch Full HD LCD panel is certain to prove a significant asset to the mobile market," said Sang-Deok Yeo, chief technology officer and executive vice president of LG Display.

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Samsung begins Europe sales of latest smartphone

Associated Press/AP Online — Mon, 28 May 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By YOUKYUNG LEE

SEOUL, South Korea - Samsung Electronics Co., the world's largest maker of mobile phones, said its third-generation Galaxy S smartphone went on sale Tuesday in 28 European and Middle Eastern countries, hoping to cement its lead over Apple's iPhone.

The Galaxy S III smartphones hit the shelves in countries including France and Britain. By the end of July, nearly 300 mobile operators around the world will be selling the device.

Buyers of the new smartphone in five European countries will also be the first to get their hands on Samsung's music streaming service.

In Germany, France, Spain, Italy and Britain, the Galaxy S III will be shipped with access to the Music Hub - an iTune's like service allowing users to listen to music as well as buy and store it. Samsung said the service has a 19-million song catalog.

Samsung said the initial response to the new smartphone was positive. At Vodafone Group, pre-sale orders for the Galaxy S III outstripped those of any previous Android-based smartphones, according to Samsung.

The Galaxy series of smartphones is widely acknowledged in the industry as a success for Samsung, turning it from a smartphone also-ran into a viable competitor with the iPhone from Apple Inc.

While Apple has kept the screen size of the iPhone the same in every upgrade since 2007, Samsung increased the screen size of its highest-end smartphone in its two major updates. The latest Galaxy phone screen is nearly twice as big as the iPhone screen.

The 4.8-inch S III also features more computing power that supports voice commands and an eye-movement tracking feature to keep the screen from dimming.

The music service, which is available in free and paid versions, can recommend new tunes based on a user's listening preferences.

The paid service allows uploading and storage of music files on servers that can be accessed from more than one Internet-connected device at a cost of (EURO)9.99 per month, Samsung said.

Unlike Apple, which uses its in-house operating system and iTunes music service, Samsung has relied on Google's Android operating system for its flagship smartphones.

Samsung's music service is a result of its acquisition of mSpot Inc., a Palo Alto, California-based provider of music and movie streaming services on the Web and mobile devices.

The Korean firm has been making efforts to increase homemade mobile content, such as its own messaging application, hoping that these features will boost consumer loyalty.

Samsung overtook Apple in smartphone sales for the first time in the first three months of this year, according to research firm Strategy Analytics. The Suwon, South Korea-based company sold 44.5 million smartphones in the January-March quarter, compared with Apple's 35.1 million iPhone sales.

Market watchers expect that Apple may use its annual conference for developers next month to announce the yearly upgrade to the iPhone, which then can go on sale as early as July.

Aside from being big rivals in the smartphone market, Samsung and Apple have also a close business relationship. Samsung supplies mobile chips and display panels for iPhones and iPad tablet computers, counting Apple among its biggest clients.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.

Facebook signals that it might try phone manufacturing

International Herald Tribune — Mon, 28 May 2012 23:00:00 GMT

By NICK BILTON

Mark Zuckerberg's company is going to great lengths to keep the phone project a secret. But can a company that is wired as a social network learn how to build hardware?

Can a software company build its own smartphone? We may find out soon.

Last week, Google completed its acquisition of the hardware maker Motorola Mobility for $12.5 billion, which could lead to the search giant's making its own smartphone. But another software titan might be getting into the hardware game as well: Facebook.

Employees of Facebook and several engineers who have been sought out by recruiters there, as well as people briefed on Facebook's plans, say the company hopes to release its own smartphone by next year. These people spoke only on the condition of anonymity for fear of jeopardizing their employment or relationships with Facebook.

The company has already hired more than half a dozen former Apple software and hardware engineers who worked on the iPhone, and one who worked on the iPad, the employees and those briefed on the plans said.

This would be Facebook's third effort at building a smartphone, said one person briefed on the plans and one who had been recruited. In 2010, the blog TechCrunch reported that Facebook was working on a smartphone. The project crumbled after the company realized the difficulties involved, according to people who had worked on it. The Web site AllThingsD reported last year that Facebook and HTC had entered a partnership to create a smartphone, code-named "Buffy," which is still in the works.

Now, the company has been going deeper into the process by expanding the group working on Buffy and exploring other smartphone projects too, while creating a team of seasoned hardware engineers who have built such devices before.

One engineer who formerly worked on the iPhone at Apple said he had met with Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's chief executive, who had peppered him with questions about the inner workings of smartphones. It did not sound like idle intellectual curiosity, the engineer said; Mr. Zuckerberg asked about intricate details, including the types of chips used, he said. Another former Apple hardware engineer was recruited by a Facebook executive and was told about the company's hardware explorations.

When asked Friday, Facebook did not deny or confirm that a project to build a smartphone existed but pointed to a previous statement it had given to AllThingsD last year that said in part, "We're working across the entire mobile industry; with operators, hardware manufacturers, OS providers, and application developers."

For Facebook, the motivation is clear; as a newly public company, it must find new sources of revenue, and it fears being left behind in mobile, one of the most promising areas for growth.

"Mark is worried that if he doesn't create a mobile phone in the near future that Facebook will simply become an app on other mobile platforms," a Facebook employee said.

Facebook is going to great lengths to keep the phone project a secret, specifically not posting job listings on the company's job Web site, but instead going door to door to find the right talent for the project.

But can a company that is wired as a social network learn how to build hardware? Mixing the cultures of hardware and software designers is akin to mixing oil and water. With the rare exception of Apple, other phone makers are not very good at this.

The biggest names in consumer electronics have struggled with phone hardware. Hewlett-Packard tried and failed. So did Dell. Sony has never done very well making phones.

"Building isn't something you can just jump into," said Hugo Fiennes, a former Apple hardware manager for the first four iPhones who has since left Apple and is starting a new hardware company, Electric Imp. "You change the smallest thing on a smartphone and you can completely change how all the antennas work. You don't learn this unless you've been doing it for a while."

He added, "Going into the phone business is incredibly complex."

Facebook also faces hurdles, often of its own making, on mobile. Twitter, for example, is fully integrated into the Apple iPhone and allows people to send Twitter messages seamlessly with photos or article links. Facebook, which has had a contentious relationship with Apple, is still not integrated into the company's mobile operating system.

One Facebook employee said the phone project had been rebooted several times because Facebook originally thought it could figure out hardware on its own. The company has since learned that it needed to bring in people with phone-making experience, several people said. So it is hiring hardware engineers to work with a phone manufacturer and design the shape, style and inner workings of a Facebook phone.

Despite the difficulties, Facebook seems well positioned in certain ways to enter the smartphone market. It already has an entire operating system complete with messaging, calendar, contacts and video, and an immense app store is on its way with thousands of highly popular apps. There is also that billion- dollar camera app, Instagram.

If Facebook fails with its own team of engineers, it could buy a smartphone maker. The company took in $16 billion from its bumpy initial public offering. It could easily scoop up an infirm company like Research in Motion, which is valued at less than $6 billion, and drop a beautifully designed Facebook operating system on top of RIM's phones. HTC, which is upset with Google for buying Motorola, is worth about $11.8 billion and becoming cheaper by the day.

Facebook would not necessarily challenge Apple if it entered the smartphone marketplace. Instead, it could be Facebook versus Google, which makes the Android operating system, with both companies going after a huge number of buyers of lower-priced smartphones.

"When you offer an advertising-based phone, you're targeting all the users on prepay that are budget-conscious of their communications costs," said Carolina Milanesi, a vice president and analyst for the Gartner Group.

Ms. Milanesi said that at a mass market level, both companies could take the same approach as Amazon, offering low-cost hardware, like the Kindle, and subsidizing some of the costs through advertising.

After all, both Facebook and Google make their money through advertising. If the companies have the opportunity to put ads in front of people continually on a smartphone screen, you would think the only problem left would be picking the right ringtone that makes that ka-ching sound.

A service of YellowBrix, Inc.