Latest on Android: News, reviews and more  How to Prepare for Windows 8 Even Though It's Not Coming to Enterprises
Windows 8 won't be adopted as a standard at your business anytime soon, according to a new Forrester report. But that doesn't mean IT shouldn't prepare for it to sneak through the BYOD side door. Here are five ways to be ready for Windows 8. U.S. approves Apple iOS devices for use on Defense Department networks
Devices built around the Apple iOS operating system have been approved by the U.S. Department of Defense for use on its networks, as the department moves to support multivendor mobile devices and operating systems. At Google I/O, developer services hogged the spotlight
Forget Glass, self-driving cars or a smartwatch. Developers, not physical consumer products, were Google's darlings at the company's annual I/O conference this week. Google woos developers as software gains importance
Google did its best to court developers at this year's I/O conference with a much-needed integrated developer environment, API for better games and the ability to more easily translate apps. Google steals march on Apple in music subscription
Google beat Apple to the music subscription service punch this week, perhaps the doing of record labels who wanted to put Apple in its place, an analyst said Google IDE eases Android app development
Google has introduced an integrated developer environment (IDE) aimed at easing development of Android apps. Google issues YouTube ultimatum to Microsoft as Hatfield-McCoy feud heats up
Google yesterday sent a cease-and-desist letter to Microsoft, demanding that its rival remove the YouTube app built for the Windows Phone platform. How to keep the feds from snooping on your cloud data
A growing number of SaaS providers offer secure encryption log-in to Dropbox and other cloud storage vendors, meaning even they can't access the data you store. And neither can the government. Google CEO on innovation: 'We're at 1% of what's possible'
Google CEO Larry Page took the stage today to wrap up a nearly four-hour long keynote that kicked off the Google I/O developers conference in San Francisco. A stock Android Galaxy S4 from Google will cost you $649
A special edition, stock Android version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 smartphone will go on sale June 26 on the Google Play store for $649, Google announced at its annual Google I/O conference. Mozilla to Firefox: 'Browser, heal thyself'
Mozilla on Tuesday released Firefox 21, adding more social media connections, tweaking the Do Not Track privacy setting and rolling out a new tool that long term, aims to create a self-healing browser. Mobile management morphs
Customers are pushing the limits of the software -- asking it to manage and do many more things than it was originally created to do -- and vendors are happy to oblige. HP brings Android to laptops with SlateBook X2
Hewlett-Packard has given the "Android treatment" to its latest laptop-tablet hybrid, which is called SlateBook X2 and has a detachable 10-inch screen that can independently function as a tablet. At Google I/O, attendees compete to save the world, virtually
Google I/O has not officially started, but the developers' show is already seeing some action. Two warring factions, the Resistance and the Enlightenment, are vying for control of various "portals" at key landmarks throughout San Francisco, which are leaking dangerous amounts of radioactive energy, to determine the fate of the city and ultimately the world. Windows 8 app store fails Top 10 test
Microsoft's Windows 8 app store failed a test touted by a former Microsoft manager and distinguished engineer as a way to determine an ecosystem's relevance. BlackBerry Messenger is expanding to iOS and Android
BlackBerry's free Messenger service is being expanded to work with iOS and Android devices, the company announced today at its BlackBerry Live event. No Chrome-Android merger, at least in the next year or two
Android's new boss hinted of an eventual merger of Chrome and Android but said the two will remain separate "for the short term," in an interview posted prior to Google I/O's opening keynote on Wednesday. Lifelogging gets real
As privacy-invading technologies and location-aware applications become commonplace and accepted (and they will), and more products like Saga, Memoto and Glass become pervasive, the idea of lifelogging will become more appealing. Microsoft sends gamblin' Pete Rose to the plate in swing at Google Docs
Microsoft today took another shot at rival Google, calling its rival's online application suite, Google Docs, "too big a gamble." AT&T offers iPhone 5 through pre-paid Aio Wireless
AT&T launched a new wireless subsidiary called Aio Wireless on Thursday that offers phones like the iPhone 5 with no annual contract. Analysts challenge Microsoft's commitment to Windows RT
One of Microsoft's top Windows executives this week said the company remains bullish about Windows RT, but analysts remain suspicious of RT's chances unless Microsoft makes changes. Amazon may be working on a smartphone with hologram-like 3D
Amazon is reportedly developing a smartphone that sports a 3D screen that relies on retina-tracking technology to make images seem to float above the screen like a hologram. Google boosts Glass with Google+, search upgrades
Google Glass developers and early adopters should be getting a software upgrade within the next week that adds tweaks to Google+, Gmail and search. Optimus G Pro deep-dive review: A supersized smartphone done right
LG's new Optimus G Pro smartphone brings a fresh dose of elegance to the supersized smartphone form. Could it be the new heavyweight champion? Google pushes out software update for Glass
Google has pushed out an update to Glass, its upcoming futuristic, computerized eyeglasses. Xiaomi takes crowdsourced phone development model abroad
Taiwan and Hong Kong may be only the beginning of Xiaomi's expansion outside China. The popular Chinese vendor of low-priced handsets is aiming at getting into five more markets next year. Microsoft's drip-drip-drip Windows communications strategy dubbed a washout
Microsoft's Tami Reller, the CFO and head of marketing for the Windows division, went on a mini publicity spree today. But she didn't say very much. $300M investment in Nook delivers next to nothing for Microsoft
Microsoft has gotten little from a 2012 investment of $300 million with Barnes & Noble, analysts said, but it's poised to reap some rewards as it and its partners start to ship smaller tablets. China's Alibaba aims for big smartphone sales of its mobile OS
Alibaba Group hopes to make a dent in Google's dominance of China's smartphone market, and has high hopes that handsets running the company's mobile OS will reach sales of 30 million units. Facebook on a mobile roll
Facebook last week cited mobile growth as a major contributor to its first-quarter increase in sales and profits. Amazon's new China app store could help pave way for Kindle products
Amazon.com has updated its mobile app store to include support for its Chinese customers, in a sign that the U.S. company could be preparing to sell its Kindle e-readers and tablets in the country. Amazon leaks evidence of first smaller, cheaper Windows 8 tablet
Details of what could be the first smaller Windows 8 tablet leaked Friday when Amazon briefly published a listing for an 8.1-in. Acer Iconia tablet. What I learned living abroad as a digital nomad
Digital nomad Mike Elgan returns to the U.S. after 10 months of travel and shares these tips for working and living abroad. Mobile Players Offer a Mix of Messages in TV Ads
Apple, Samsung and Microsoft take divergent paths to selling their smartphones via TV commercials. The winning approach: Focus on your own unique features, and resist potshots at the competition. Time to say goodbye to Windows RT tablets?
Windows RT tablets grabbed just 0.4% of the tablet market in the first quarter, a dismal result that led some tech experts to urge Microsoft to scrap the platform that's in its six-month infancy. MediaTek aims to boost low-cost Android smartphone performance
Semiconductor company MediaTek wants to improve the performance of low-cost Android-based smartphones with its latest system-on-a-chip, the MT6572. AT&T to carry LG Optimus G Pro for $200 and contract May 10
AT&T will exclusively sell the 5.5-in., quad-core LG Optimus G Pro smartphone starting May 10 for $199.99 with a two-year contract, the two companies announced Wednesday. How do they compare? Samsung Galaxy S4 vs. HTC One and Nexus 4
Trying to figure out which one to get? Here's the specs for each of these three devices. Samsung Galaxy S4 deep-dive review: A real-world evaluation
Samsung's Galaxy S4 has great hardware and some great added functionality -- but some of its new features are baffling or downright silly. HP ships $169 Slate 7 Android tablet
Hewlett-Packard on Friday started shipping its $169.99 Slate 7 tablet with Android 4.1, which signals the company's reentry into the consumer tablet market after the TouchPad imploded in 2011. LG stages comeback as smartphones outsell feature phones
LG Electronics more that doubled its sales of smartphones in the first quarter, which was the first time smartphones outsold feature phones, according to IDC. Review: Xamarin 2.0 brings C# to mobile development
Impressive Xamarin SDK brings native iPhone and Android development to C# programmers, Visual Studio NASA launches new nanosatellites: Android smartphones
NASA has launched three Google-HTC Nexus One smartphones into space in what scientists hope will be the lowest-cost satellites ever tested. Windows Blue won't solve all Microsoft's problems, analysts say
Microsoft's failure thus far to significantly spark PC and tablet sales with Windows 8 has put high expectations on an expected 2013 refresh of the OS, dubbed 'Blue.' HP could bury TouchPad fiasco with $169 Slate 7 tablet
Hewlett-Packard in the next few days will ship the US$169 Slate 7, the company's first product for the consumer tablet market since the spectacular failure of the WebOS-based TouchPad in 2011. VirnetX targets Skype, Lync in new patent attack on Microsoft
Patent holding company VirnetX this week filed a lawsuit in federal court accusing Microsoft's Skype of infringing six of its patents. Motorola Android phones infringe on Microsoft SMS patent, German court rules
Motorola Mobility Android phones infringe on a Microsoft text messaging patent, the Higher District Court of Munich ruled on Thursday. Samsung confirms limited supply of Galaxy S4, cites 'overwhelming global demand'
Overwhelming global demand may limit initial supplies of the Galaxy S4 smartphone, Samsung said Wednesday, while both Sprint and T-Mobile USA confirmed there would be delays in their receiving the phones. Sprint says Galaxy S4 shipments will be slightly delayed
Sprint warned Wednesday that it will be "slightly delayed" with its full launch of the Samsung Galaxy S 4 on Saturday as planned. ZTE agrees to Android, Chrome patent licensing from Microsoft
Microsoft has inked an agreement that adds ZTE to its Android and Chrome patent licensing program. Mac sales growth stalls -- here's why Apple doesn't care
Apple's Mac has been punished by shifting consumer tastes just as has the overall PC industry, data from the company's earnings statements show. China's Huawei bolstering smartphone strategy, plans to announce new handset
Chinese handset maker Huawei plans to introduce a new smartphone in the middle of this year, packed with the "best hardware and design," and is preparing to open a slew of new stores in its home market. Tumblr ads go mobile
Animated GIFs, journal entries, cat photos, and now, more ads. Tumblr, in an effort to further boost its revenue, is rolling out ads into users' mobile feeds. Facebook Home hits 500K downloads
In the 10 days that Facebook Home has been available, it has had more than 500,000 downloads. Apple's lead over Samsung in future-purchase plan survey cut in half
From December to March, Apple's iPhone lost ground to smartphones from rival Samsung in a survey to assess consumers' future purchase plans, a market research firm said last week. Office 365 subscriptions furnish 4% of Microsoft's Office division revenue
Microsoft's Business division, which manages the company's Office cash cow, recorded a 5% revenue bump in the first quarter over the same period in 2012, an increase driven by a surge in enterprises signing long-term licensing agreements. Google Glass mysteries revealed!
Google made a long list of announcements and revelations about its cyborg eyewear Glass. Google is taking a very conservative, controlling approach to the platform, not unlike Apple's style. Yahoo launches new weather, email apps in its 'second sprint' of rebuilding
Yahoo has released two new mobile apps, for weather and email, suggesting the company may be on track toward delivering on its promise of offering users a range of new mobile products over the next several months. Twitter unveils new #music app and service
Twitter today is releasing a service that the social network hopes will change how people find music and artists. Facebook Home on iPhone? Not a chance, say experts
There is absolutely no way that Apple will surrender its iPhone interface to Facebook Home, analysts said today. Galaxy S4 available on seven U.S. wireless carriers by end of April
Samsung announced today that its next-generation Galaxy S4 smartphone will be available by the end of April on seven major U.S. carriers, as well as seven retailers. Amazon's Android Appstore set to become available in 200 more countries
Amazon.com is continuing the global expansion of its Appstore by announcing that developers can submit their apps for sale in another 200 countries around the world. ACLU complains to FTC that mobile carriers leave Android phones unsecured
Smartphones with custom versions of Android offered by large mobile operators in the U.S. are not getting security updates as regularly as phones from Google, or smartphones from other vendors like Microsoft, according to a complaint by the American Civil Liberties Union to the Federal Trade Commission. Microsoft signs patent licensing deal with Foxconn covering Android, Chrome devices
Microsoft has signed up another major electronics manufacturer to its Android and Chrome patent licensing program, this time Taiwan's Foxconn, which will pay royalties to the U.S. software giant. Xamarin seeks to simplify mobile app testing with new service
Xamarin has announced Test Cloud, an automated service that lets mobile developers test their apps on hundreds of mobile devices. Microsoft exec talks mobile smack, trashes iOS as 'boring,' Android as 'a mess'
Microsoft's top executive for mobile phones took shots at both iOS and Android today, calling Apple's operating system "boring" and claiming Google's is "a mess." Android founder: We aimed to make a camera OS
The creators of Android originally dreamed it would be used to create a world of "smart cameras" that connected to PCs, a founder said, but it was reworked for mobile handsets as the smartphone market began to explode. Microsoft smart watch would be 'snipe hunt' distraction from Windows 8
Microsoft is reportedly working on designs for a touch-enabled smart watch, a move one analyst called a "snipe hunt" that would distract it from the critical chore of getting Windows 8 off the ground Apple's silence cedes market narrative to rivals, says expert
Apple's noted silence has hurt its mystique and caused it to cede the "cool" factor to competitors, a communications expert said. Facebook Home goes live in Google Play
Facebook Home, which doesnt replace the Android OS but sits on top of it, includes a family of Facebook-focused apps and also works with the apps a user already has on her phone. HTC One deep-dive review: A smartphone that flirts with perfection
HTC's just-released Android smartphone, the HTC One, offers high-quality hardware, an outstanding camera and stunning design. But the device isn't without its drawbacks. Samsung sees value in bigger Galaxy Mega smartphones
Samsung struck again Thursday, announcing two even bigger Galaxy Mega smartphones with 5.8-in. and 6.3-in. LCD HD screens. Microsoft must fight to remain influential, say analysts
Stormed by a shift to tablets and smartphones, and threatened, even in its enterprise bastion, by new demands from workers, Microsoft may lose its place at the table reserved for major technology players, an analyst argued today. Mobile phone apps view private data more than necessary, says French study
Mobile phone apps are accessing users' private data and transmitting it to remote servers far more than appears strictly necessary, while users have inadequate tools to monitor or control such access, according to a new study by two French government agencies. Group led by Microsoft, Nokia takes aim at Android with EU complaint
The FairSearch coalition, whose members include Microsoft, Nokia and Oracle, has filed a complaint with the European Commission against Google and Android, saying that the company is using the OS as a Trojan horse to deceive partners and monopolize the mobile marketplace. Facebook Home goes after mobile market with 'ferocity'
Less than a year after calling mobile one of its biggest risks, Facebook has made another big move to attack the mobile market with Facebook Home for Android devices. Diversifying Facebook Home could broaden its appeal, analysts say
Facebook's Home mobile software for Android-equipped smartphones might only appeal to the most active Facebook users at first, but the company's plan to integrate third-party social services into it could broaden its appeal. Update: Facebook unveils Android Home screen and app family
Facebook is not building its own smartphone. Instead, it today unveiled Home, a Facebook-focused home screen designed to give Android users quick access to their Facebook friends. Muted excitement for latest Toshiba Android tablet
Shaw reviews Toshiba's Excite 10 SE tablet and HP's EliteBook Folio 9470m Ultrabook. Mozilla, Google, Opera introduce new Web browser engines
There could be big changes coming to the fiddly and sometimes annoying Web browsing experience on cellphones. Muted excitement for latest Toshiba Android tablet
Shaw reviews Toshiba's Excite 10 SE tablet and HP's EliteBook Folio 9470m Ultrabook. Google puts pressure on Microsoft, launches Quickoffice for iPhone and Android
Google launched its Microsoft Office substitute, Quickoffice, for Apple's iPhone, Android smartphones and Android tablets, fulfilling a promise made in December. Mozilla refines Firefox's private browsing, patches 13 browser bugs
Mozilla on Tuesday shipped Firefox 20, adding more flexible private browsing and patching 13 vulnerabilities, five rated "critical" by the company's security team. Facebook speculation turns to launcher, HTC partnership
News leaks and speculation are pointing to a launcher for Android smartphones as the mysterious announcement expected from Facebook on Thursday. Google+ Sign-In feature expands with Janrain, Gigya integration
Google is aiming to expand the reach of users' Google+ profiles and social data across the Web through new partnerships with Janrain and Gigya. Leaked BlackBerry road map reveals two phablets, widescreen tablet in coming year
BlackBerry plans to release a larger tablet and two phone-tablet combos, or phablets, over the next year, according to a leaked road map presentation slide. Microsoft signals push to smaller, lower-priced Windows tablets
Microsoft has relaxed a Windows 8 certification requirement to allow devices with lower resolutions, a move analysts said means Microsoft could soon join the shift to smaller, less expensive tablets. Microsoft could rake in $1.25B first year from Office on iOS, Android, asserts analyst
Microsoft could rake in more than $1 billion in revenue in the first year after launching Office for Apple's iOS and Google's Android platforms, an analyst said today. Facebook woos serious gamers
If 2012 was the year of arcade, casino and hidden object games on Facebook, such as "Diamond Dash," "Bubble Witch Saga" and "Bubble Safari," the social network hopes 2013 will be the year of more immersive, strategy-oriented games. Google+ updates mobile apps for iPhone, Android
Google has released updates for its Google+ apps for iPhone and Android. Quickpoll: What mobile browser do you use most often?
Safari dominates the mobile browser market despite Android smartphones and tablets outselling iOS devices by wide margins. Which mobile browser do you use most often? 8 myths about the smartwatch revolution
By the time Apple ships its rumored 'iWatch' smartwatch, it will be entering an already crowded market. That's a good thing, says columnist Mike Elgan. Windows 8 app store growth slows
Microsoft launched a Windows 8 app-for-cash promotion this week because growth of the company's app store has slowed this quarter, an analyst argued today. iPhone snares eighth straight top satisfaction ranking
Apple's iPhone has again taken the top ranking in J.D. Power and Associates' smartphone customer satisfaction survey, the company said. Temporary fixes released for Samsung Android lock-screen glitch
Two security vendors have released temporary fixes for a flaw in some Samsung Android phones that could allow an attacker to bypass a locked screen. Apple leads consumer cloud storage wars
Apple is dominating the cloud storage wars, followed by Dropbox, Amazon and Google according to Strategy Analytics "Cloud Media Services" survey. Despite Schmidt comments, merger of Chrome OS, Android still possible, analyst says
Although Google Chairman Eric Schmidt said this week that Chrome OS and Android will remain separate operating systems "for a very, very long time," one analyst still thinks the two will merge. Defense spokesman says DoD not dumping BlackBerry
A U.S. Department of Defense spokesman on Thursday said a report suggesting the defense agency is dumping BlackBerry devices was inaccurate, and that BlackBerry is still part of ongoing DoD mobile device deployment plans. Jack Gold: Has BYOD peaked?
Expect enterprises to start instituting stricter policies to make BYOD a more secure and cost-effective policy. Google launches Keep for personal notes
Google is looking to replace physical sticky notes with Keep, a new product designed for storing notes and other pieces of information.
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