Sony may have a Mint at IFA

It appears that Samsung is not the only handset manufacturer tied to a big IFA announcement next month. Now we’re getting word of a possible new Sony smartphone called the Mint. But these are more than just blurry rumor shots; tech blog Mobile Review has published a full analysis of the device replete with dozens …

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Sprint CEO confirms business

Sprint Nextel CEO Dan Hesse confirmed that the company will sell the Motorola Photon Q and provided an update on its high-end smartphones. The Motorola Photon Q is the 4G LTE-compatible successor to the original Motorola Photon. Hesse said the carrier will launch the phone later this year. The device, like some of its other environmentally friendly phones, is ULE-platinum-certified, …

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U.K. court grants Apple reprieve on Samsung ‘copy’ case, for now

Samsung Galaxy Tab CNET Apple lawyers walked away from a U.K. court and breathed a sigh of relief following a judge’s decision to grant a stay on an earlier ruling forcing the Cupertino, Calif.-based company to publicly state Samsung had not copied the iPad’s design. A London court said today that Apple will not have to immediately place the notice …

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3G comes to the Channel Tunnel in time for the Olympics

People traveling through the Channel Tunnel can now access mobile services 100 meters under the sea — as long as they are heading to the U.K., rather than crossing over to France. French operators Bouygues Telecom, Orange and SFR have all started providing 2G and 3G services in the south tunnel — which runs from France to the U.K. — …

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Apple coveted Sony’s style for original iPhone

Apple has accused Samsung of “slavishly” copying its designs, but documents submitted to a US court in the ongoing legal wranglings between the pair suggest Apple may have also looked elsewhere for its smart phone design inspiration. And the company reportedly inspiring Cupertino — at least in part — is Sony, Martyn Williams of the IDG News Service reports. This …

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Samsung Galaxy S3, S2, HTC One X snubbed by Sky’s Now TV

Sky’s new Now TV streaming service has stumbled at the first hurdle: the Android app doesn’t work on the Samsung Galaxy S3, Galaxy S2, HTC One X, or any Ice Cream Sandwich phone. Which would be fine, if the Now TV ad didn’t feature — you guessed it — one brand spanking new Samsung Galaxy S3. The Now TV Android …

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Sprint turns on LTE in four more cities, still no major hubs

Sprint announced today that it will bring LTE to four more U.S. cities before Labor Day, lifting its count to 19 cities outfitted with the 4G technology by September. The four cities are Baltimore; Gainesville, Ga.; Manhattan/Junction City, Kan.; and Sherman-Denison, Texas. The Now Network launched 15 LTE markets earlier this month, concentrated in Texas and Georgia. Many are waiting …

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Nvidia pushes new standard for wireless streaming

Chances are, if you’re looking for a way to get the photos, video, or games from your phone to show up on your big screen TV, you’ve got a wire involved. Chipmaker Nvidia announced today that it’s one step closer to having its smartphones and tablets wirelessly share content through a forthcoming standard called Miracast. Miracast relies on a direct …

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iPhones just work better with simpler plans, Sprint CEO says

People love the iPhone because of its simplicity and ease of use. It’s for that same reason Sprint Nextel’s unlimited plans are so popular. So says Sprint CEO Dan Hesse, who claimed his company’s simple plans just work better with the iPhone and reiterated his commitment to them. “We think unlimited is important,” Hesse said during a conference call today. …

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Want a YouView box for free? Talk to TalkTalk

If your over-excitement at the prospect of getting your hands on a YouView set-top box turned to swift outrage at the thought of being relieved of £300 for a tardy prism you’ll be delighted to learn there is another way. Landline and broadband purveyor TalkTalk — one of YouView’s backers — is offering the box for free, provided you sign …

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GiffGaff outage: Too expensive to prevent it, says CEO

GiffGaff’s mobile network fell over last week, downed by a water pipe that burst and bathed its supplier’s kit in the wet stuff. Forget snakes on a plane — water pipes in a data centre are far more terrifying. The outage began at 10.10am and lasted until just after 6pm — affecting calls, texts, data and even GG’s ability to …

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The Flygrip: When unusual just isn’t enough

The Flygrip would find itself well at home in your standard infomercial. You know the kind I’m talking about, where black and white photography and lots of melodrama tell you about a problem that you didn’t know you had. All right, maybe I’m being a bit too snarky, but for a smartphone accessory, the Flygrip is not at the top …

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HTC selling Beats shares back to Dr Dre

Just a year after inking a deal to acquire 50.1 per cent of Beats Audio, HTC is selling the shares back to Beats, offloading 25 per cent of its stake. The Sensation XL with its bundled Beats headphones.(Credit: HTC) HTC has stated that the reason for its sale is to “provide Beats with operational flexibility for global expansion”, according to …

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Siri plays femme fatale to Martin Scorsese in new Apple ad

Are you talking to me? Are you talking to me? I’m sorry Travis, I don’t understand. Would you like me to search the web for a video of Martin Scorsese talking to a telephone? America’s greatest living film director is having a busy day and it’s up to Siri to help him out. In Apple’s new ad for the iPhone …

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NYT dumps BlackBerry app

The New York Times has decided to stop supporting its current BlackBerry app because of a decrease in users, Reuters reported today. The newspaper cut off support to the apps for BlackBerry and the DealBook BlackBerry Reader on Monday, directing BlackBerry users to use the NYT mobile site instead. “Currently, our mobile Web site offers a more complete New York …

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