Samsung has widened its lead over Apple in mobile phone shipments in the second quarter, said IDC. The global mobile phone market grew only 1 percent year over year in the second quarter of 2012, IDC said Thursday. Samsung and Apple shipped almost half of the world’s smartphones. Samsung and Apple have more than doubled …

The European Commission has taken the wraps off a project aimed at improving the reliability of GPS data, with a new internet-based GPS augmentation service. The new European scheme may lower the pressure placed on satellite GPS systems. European Commission The European Commission Vice-President Antonio Tajani, responsible for industry and entrepreneurship, launched the new European Data Access Service (EDAS) in …

Why would Samsung stop you searching through your contacts, calendars and other stuff on your Samsung Galaxy S3? That’s the question we asked yesterday, speculating it was something to do with Apple — but it turns out to be an old-fashioned cock-up. “The most recent software upgrade for the Galaxy S III in the UK included the inadvertent removal of …

Foxtel’s eight channels of London 2012 have gone live, and if you’re not a full Foxtel subscriber, you can still get in on the action. For Xbox 360 or Samsung smart TV owners, you can get all of the Olympic channels through the Foxtel IPTV service for an AU$50 one-off fee. Foxtel’s London 2012 service on Samsung smart TV.(Credit: Foxtel) …

The starting grid of the 2012 London Olympics is within sight, so it’s time to begin planning one’s viewing, eating and sleeping schedule, and CNET Australia‘s here to help. The games officially kick off with the opening ceremony at 6am AEST on Saturday, 28 July. Competitive events will start at around 6pm AEST that night, although a number of football …

Samsung Electronics, the world’s largest consumer electronics maker, reported a record second-quarter net profit Friday on the continued strong sales of its smartphones. The South Korea-based company said net profits for the three months ending June 30 rose to $4.5 billion, an increase of 48 percent over the year-ago period, in line with guidance the company gave earlier this month. …

Nokia has decided to nix plans to launch a new software platform for feature phones, according to a new report. The mobile company was working on a new software platform called Meltemi to replace Series 40, Reuters is reporting today, citing sources. However, the platform, which was Linux-based, has been quietly discontinued by the company. Reuters’ sources did not say …

As you navigate your Android 4.1 Jelly Bean-stocked phone or tablet, you might come across a new, built-in feature called Google Now. Often mislabeled as a Siri competitor, Google Now is not an intelligent voice recognition service. Instead, it’s a built-in assistant that serves up Google search-based answers to voiced questions. Google Now also tries to give you those answers …

With Apple v. Samsung hearings busting out all over the shop — in Australia this week and in the US next week — both sides are scrambling to prove the other wrong. An image from Apple’s filing last year.(Credit: Apple) In response to Apple’s global lawsuits against its devices, Samsung’s counter-claim — that Apple is infringing its 3G technology — …

For the third time in a row, Verizon Wireless has been dubbed the wireless provider with the best customer service, according to marketing researchers, J.D. Power and Associates. Its semi-annual report, “2012 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Full-Service Performance Study — Volume 2 and 2012 U.S. Wireless Customer Care Non-Contract Performance Study,” gave the Big Red an overall score of 771 …

Never fear, a fix is supposedly near. Samsung confirmed today that the recent “stability update” on the Galaxy S3 that rendered the on-device search function useless was going to be repaired immediately, according to the BBC. “The most recent software upgrade for the Galaxy S3 in the UK included the inadvertent removal of the universal search function,” the company said …

Verizon Wireless got fat off the customers that left Sprint Nextel’s iDEN network over the past few years. That’s according to Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, who told investors today that Verizon has nabbed half of the customers who left the ailing Nextel service over the past few years. AT&T grabbed roughly a fifth of the departing customers, while Sprint got …

Going to the Olympics? Not if you’re wearing a comically oversized hat you’re not. And don’t expect to take your pet iguana in with you — even if it does look a bit like Mandeville. LOCOG, the Games’ organising body, has published a list of prohibited and restricted items that Games-goers should absolutely avoid taking to venues — unless you …

With decent lighting and a modern smartphone, you can shoot some pretty impressive movies. Take “Olive,” a feature-length film shot entirely on a Nokia N8. And Chan-wook Park shot a 30-minute movie, “Paranmanjang,” using only an iPhone. Of course, there’s only so much you can accomplish holding your phone in those shaky hands of yours. If you want rock-steady images, …

Now playing: Watch this: What in the world are Appcessories? 3:07 If you keep an eye on the latest trends in electronics, you’ve probably stumbled across the term “appcessory” already. We sneaked into our local Dick Smith (DSE) store after hours to see what appcessories we could get our hands on. Toys, games and gadgets controlled by smartphones and tablets …