New IDC research figures show Sony leapfrogging three places to take third place in global smartphone sales, despite a sales decline. Sony’s new Xperia XT (Credit: Sony) Sony has overtaken RIM, Nokia and the struggling HTC to arrive at third place on the smartphone sales ladder, below Samsung and Apple. Samsung continues to dominate the …

It’s been kind of odd that no code name for the successor to the Windows Phone 8 operating system had leaked — until November 26 (if the rumors are right). Here’s a quick refresher on code names. The Windows Phone team has been all about the o’s. Windows Phone 7 OS was code-named NoDo. Then there was Mango (Windows Phone …

If you have a head for numbers, the following is a curious brain boggler. A blog called TenFingerCrunch has collected data from IDC and NetMarketShare that suggests that iOS users access the web on their devices vastly more than Android device owners — despite the fact that the lion’s share of devices are sold on Google’s platform. (Credit: TenFingerCrunch) Android …

Released yesterday, Adblock Plus for Android offers a no-nonsense way to completely remove ads from your mobile computing experience. Simply download and install the app, and let it run behind the scenes. From there, you should notice that display ads, video ads, push notifications, and even many in-app ads are no more. Related stories Adblock Plus for Mozilla Firefox Adblock …

If you who own the LG Nexus 4 and Google Nexus 10 tablet, be on the lookout for a new Android 4.2.1 software update. Multiple sources report that the minor 1.1MB update has begun rolling out to the two new “pure” Google devices. So far, the JOP40D build’s most major fix seems to address the December “event” bug. As some …

Google has confirmed that batches of its wildly popular Nexus 4 smart phone are shipping to some of its pre-order customers in the US. But it isn’t able to shed any light on when more models will be available to buy here in the UK. In emails sent out to certain customers west of the Azores, Google explains, “Your Nexus …

People are now using their cell phones for much more than talking. According to a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 85 percent of U.S. adults own a mobile phone and 56 percent of them use it to get online. “Fully 85 percent of American adults own a cell phone and now use the devices to …

Self-publishing is becoming a popular option for authors to distribute their work. Simon & Schuster has just announced a new service called Archway to tap into the market. (Credit: Archway Publishing) Archway will offer a number of additional services to lure potential authors from other self-publishing platforms, such as a concierge, which will direct each part of the publishing process …

Microsoft will release an over-the-air update for Windows Phone 8 devices in December, aiming to squash a bug in the code that has devices randomly rebooting. (Credit: CNET Australia) Following on from user complaints on Windows Phone forums and from our sister-site’s own Mary Jo Foley on ZDNet, the tech giant confirmed the update in a statement. “We’re continuing to …

Samsung’s first Windows Phone 8 mobile — the stupidly-named Ativ S — could be delayed until next year, reports suggest. The 4.8-inch device won’t see shop shelves this side of Christmas, SamMobile reports, saying it’s received information that the Ativ S is going to be shipping from week 52 of this year. Calendar enthusiasts will tell you that’s the very …

Prima Cinema will download and play box office movies on the day of theatrical release — all for just US$35,000. The Prima Cinema box and fingerprint scanner. (Screenshot by CNET Australia) A home theatre cinema can be an expensive proposition, but Prima Cinema is taking that to a whole new level. Prima Cinema is a rack mounted device that downloads …

The Dark Knight Rises hits Blu-ray today and Warner Bros is reminding you in artistic style. At the Galleries Victoria, 500 George Street, Sydney, until late Thursday. (Credit: CNET Australia) Batman completionists rejoice: The Dark Knight Rises, the third film of Christopher Nolan’s Batman trilogy, is out on Blu-ray today. It’s all about the perspective.(Credit: CNET Australia) Warner Bros got …

The phony press release sent out this morning on PRWeb detailing Google’s acquisition of Wi-Fi provider ICOA for $400 million may have been an attempt to move the company’s penny stock. The company’s stock started trading this morning at $0.0001 and steadily climbed throughout the morning to $0.0005, where it peaked around 11:30 a.m. ET. Once news trickled out that …

They aren’t phones, and they aren’t tablets: Samsung’s Galaxy Note 2 and LG’s Intuition. Samsung said today it has sold more than 5 million Galaxy Note 2 devices worldwide, just two months after the product was first released. The Korean technology giant said in a statement (Google Translate) that sales of the part-phone, part-tablet — a so-called “phablet” — hit …

Now playing: Watch this: How to access your PC with an Android phone 2:42 Ever had that sinking feeling that a file you desperately needed has been left at home? Suddenly need to access your computer from the other side of town? You can do this and more with your mobile device and two free apps. If you want to …