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Samsung shipped nearly 320 million smartphones in 2013, the largest ever in one year by a single vendor, according to new data released Monday. Overall, handset makers shipped a record 990 million smartphones worldwide in 2013, a 41 percent increase over the previous year, according to market researcher Strategy Analytics. However, the 41 percent growth rate was a slight retreat …

Vodafone won’t be snapped by US rival AT&T any time soon. Despite looking to get in on the 4G mobile broadband action in Europe, the American network says it won’t be plonking down cash for Vodafone in the next six months. Under the auspices of the UK Takeover Code, companies are required to give written notice if they plan to …

Google will phase out the Nexus line of devices in favor of more Google Play Edition products, or so says Russian blogger Eldar Murtazin. According to Murtazin’s sources, Google will introduce two or three more Nexus-branded products this year, but will discontinue the sub-brand in 2015. This bligger indicates that Google will rebrand the Play Edition as the Nexus replacement. …

The Android mobile OS finished 2013 with a rise in market share in 12 major regions around the world, research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech said Monday. For the three months ending December 2013, Google’s mobile OS showed market share gains in the US, Europe, Latin America, China, and Japan. In Europe alone, Android now holds a 68.6 percent slice of …

The bitter patent battle between Samsung and Ericsson is now over. The companies on Monday announced that they have ended all litigation against each other and have entered into a cross-licensing deal on cellular technologies. Under the deal, Samsung will make an initial payment to the Swedish telecom equipment maker as well as “ongoing royalty payments” for the term of …

AT&T won’t be making any attempt to acquire Vodafone, the company confirmed Monday. At the request of the UK’s Panel on Takeovers and Mergers, AT&T said in a statement Monday that it “does not intend to make an offer for Vodafone.” That’s in the here and now — the future being an unpredictable beast, AT&T did say that it “reserves …

Sprint has added another unlimited service for its wireless subscribers. The company announced Monday that it now offers unlimited cloud storage from Pogoplug as part of its suite of unlimited services. Sprint customers will be able to access up to 5GB of Pogoplug’s cloud storage for free. And for $4.99 per month they can upgrade to an unlimited option. The …

Samsung may reveal a rival to Google Glass before the year is over, at least according to the latest scuttlebutt. Citing comments from unnamed company officials, Korea Times said on Monday that Samsung is aiming to unveil its so-called Galaxy Glass eyewear at the IFA 2014 trade show, which runs from September 5 to 10. The glasses would reportedly link …

LG Electronics swung to a loss in the fourth quarter, but saw signs of life flicker a little brighter in its smartphone business. The Korean conglomerate posted a loss of 64 billion Korean won, or $59.1 million, reversing a year-ago profit of 223 Korean won, or $205.8 million. LG blamed an unfavorable shift in the foreign currency exchange rate for …