The HTC One, expected to be the Taiwanese smartphone maker’s next flagship handset, is set to launch in the U.S. on March 22, according to a report on fan site HTC Source. Formerly code-named M7, the HTC One with 32GB of storage will debut on AT&T, T-Mobile, and Sprint for $199.99 with a two-year contract, …

Alcatel-Lucent announced today that Ben Verwaayen is resigning after serving four years as CEO of the Franco-American network equipment maker. The imminent resignation of Verwaayen, who will stay on while the company’s board searches for a replacement, was previously reported by The Wall Street Journal. “Alcatel-Lucent has been an enormous part of my life,” Verwaayen said in a company statement. …

A record 700 million smartphones shipped last year, with Samsung and Apple together accounting for half the market, according to new research released today. While global smartphone shipments increased 490.5 million units over 2011, the 43 percent growth rate slowed in comparison to 2011’s growth rate of 64 percent over 2010, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics. The research blamed …

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest consumer electronics maker, said its fourth-quarter profit rose 76 percent to another record high on strong sales of Galaxy smartphones and tablets. The South Korean electronics giant today reported a net profit of 7.04 trillion won ($6.6 billion), up from 4.01 trillion won in the same period a year earlier. It was the fifth consecutive …

Research In Motion will launch devices running BlackBerry 10 at the end of the month, but the handset maker is still playing with the idea of licensing its new operating system to other manufacturers. When asked whether RIM might license the new platform as Microsoft did with Windows Phone, RIM CEO Thorsten Heins told German newspaper Die Welt that it’s …

Dish Network made an unsolicited bid to buy Clearwire for $5.15 billion, upping the ante for Sprint Nextel, which entered into an agreement last month to purchase the 50 percent of the wireless broadband provider it does not already own. Dish is offering $3.30 per share for all outstanding shares in Clearwire, about 11 percent more than Sprint’s offer, and …

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest consumer electronics maker, expects to post another record profit when it reveals its fourth-quarter results later this month on continued strong handset sales . The South Korean electronics giant estimated today that its fourth-quarter operating profit had jumped 88 percent to 8.8 trillion Korean won ($8.3 billion) over the year-ago period. The forecast, which would …

Samsung has issued a software update to address a nasty vulnerability found in a handful of smartphones that allowed attackers access to user data and left the handset vulnerable to malicious apps and bricking. The vulnerability, which was discovered last month, lies in Exynos 4, the ARM-based system-on-a-chip typically found in Samsung smartphones and tablets. An exploit bypasses the system …

Web usage of Apple’s iPad fell more than 7 percent in North America after Christmas, while competing tablets from Amazon, Google, and Samsung all registered gains, according to a new study released today. While the iPad dominates the market with 78.8 percent Web usage, its usage after Christmas dropped 7.14 percent, according to Chitika Insights, which sampled hundreds of millions …

The Federal Communications Commission announced new rules today designed to speed deployment of Internet services on aircraft. Since 2001, the FCC has authorized a number of companies on a case-by-case basis to offer in-flight Internet service via Earth Stations Aboard Aircraft, which carry two-way signals from an aircraft-mounted antenna to geostationary satellites. The FCC said the new rules define ESAA …