Motorola Mobility has applied for a patent that would turn your mobile display into an acoustic device. According to the patent application, which hit the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) Web site yesterday, Motorola has developed a technology that would allow a mobile device’s display to “produce a substantial usable audio area particularly for …

Research In Motion’s former co-CEOs Jim Balsillie and Mike Lazaridis might have run into some trouble in their waning days at the company, but that didn’t stop the mobile firm from giving them some serious entitlements to make their departure a bit easier to handle. RIM yesterday filed a form 6K with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), outlining how …

A company called Karma has developed what it’s called the “social telecom.” The only issue is, its big unveiling took a hit recently after Karma mentioned two companies it has worked with but hasn’t actually signed on. At TechStars yesterday, Karma took the stage to show off its 4G hot spot. The small box, which costs $69 and runs on …

Nokia has sold off its luxury mobile phone brand Vertu. The company said today that EQT VI, a private equity group in Northern Europe, has acquired Vertu. The terms of the deal were not disclosed, but after it closes at the end of the second quarter, Nokia plans to hold a 10 percent minority stake in the brand. Back in …

Amazon’s Kindle applications now support more titles, the company announced today. Users of Amazon’s Kindle for iOS, Kindle Cloud Reader, and Kindle for Android apps will find that they now support children’s books, comics, and graphic novels. According to Amazon, the children’s books feature fixed layouts and Kindle Text Pop-Up in supported titles, making it easier for readers to magnify …

Nokia will cut 10,000 positions by the end of 2013, the company announced today. The layoffs are part of a strategy on Nokia’s part to “rescale” its operation. In doing so, it plans to close facilities in Ulm, Germany and Burnaby, Canada; consolidate certain manufacturing operations; and streamline its IT, corporate, and support functions. “These planned reductions are a difficult …

HTC has faced some serious setbacks in its patent battle with Apple. But that won’t stop the company from getting back up and continuing the fight. Speaking to reporters at the HTC 15th anniversary ceremony yesterday, Chairwoman Cher Wang said her company “will apply for patents in different fields, and we will also purchase different kinds of patents, such as …

Sprint is working on a mobile-payment service that could take on Google Wallet and countless other competitors in the marketplace, according to a new report. Android Central yesterday posted two images it claims show how Sprint’s mobile-payment service will work. Based on the images in the slides, the service will force users to enter a pass code to access their …

Google’s long-rumored tablet, developed with help from Asus, is launching soon, according to a new report. Android Authority is reporting today that it recently sat down with an “Asus representative” at Computex, who said that the co-branded Google tablet does, in fact, exist. What’s more, the representative said that the Google tablet will launch at the end of June, seeming …

The cheapest version of Research In Motion’s BlackBerry PlayBook has been discontinued. RIM today told CNET in an e-mailed statement today that the company has decided to stop “making the 16GB model of the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet.” However, the company was quick to point out that the 32GB and 64GB models will remain on store shelves and will continue to …