March, 2014

• 7 March

  Ex

  

  Former Apple CEO John Sculley. Screenshot by CNET Former Apple CEO John Sculley reportedly is planning to launch a smartphone brand in India, according to a report by tech-news site BGR that didn’t cite sources. Smartphone usage is exploding in India, with major players like Apple and Samsung pushing their phones through distribution networks and …

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• 7 March

  Verizon offers discount to wireless and Fios triple

  

  Verizon Wireless Here’s some good news for Verizon Fios and Verizon Wireless customers. If you have a smartphone on Verizon Wireless and you subscribe to the Verizon Fios triple play, you can save $20 on your monthly fees. Verizon’s offer starts today and runs until April 19. The so-called unified customer “thank you” offer allows customers to save $480 over …

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• 7 March

  Nokia leans into emerging markets with three new phones

  

  BARCELONA, Spain — Nokia and Microsoft may be tying the knot by the end of March, but the Finnish phone-maker didn’t release a single phone running on Microsoft’s Windows Phone platform. Instead, Nokia pushed further into greener territories of smartphone penetration, announcing a trio of mobile phones aimed at simple cell phone and smartphone use. These low-cost devices that come …

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• 7 March

  Nokia: Android

  

  BARCELONA, Spain — Nokia’s Android-based X phone with Nokia and Windows Phone experiences may seem like an oddity because it stands alone in a field overwhelmingly dominated by Android phones that deliver more typical Google experiences. But Nokia says it has big plans in store for the Nokia X family of devices. Related stories: Hybrid Nokia X is Android, but …

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• 7 March

  In Austin, it’s South by South Westeros

  

  “ One of Daenerys Targeryan’s dragons, from “Game of Thrones.” Daenerys is known as Mother of Dragons. Daniel Terdiman/CNET AUSTIN, Texas — Who would have known that coming to the Texas capital this week would offer up the chance to get up close with the fruits of Westeros? Thanks to HBO, which is preparing to debut Season 4 of “Game …

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• 7 March

  Lego Sandcrawler rolls through ‘Star Wars’ universe

  

  Lego will release its new Sandcrawler set in May. It will cost $300. Lego When I saw “Star Wars” the first time, on opening day in 1977, I had to wait in line for more than an hour to get in. Which meant that by the time I entered the theater — San Francisco’s famous Coronet — the first thing …

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• 7 March

  Beats Music opens up, making its API public

  

  Ian C. Rogers/Beats/fistfulayen.com Streaming-music service Beats Music is opening up some of its programming to outsiders, with the goal of proliferating the new $120-a-year subscription player in the broader online universe. “If you’re willing to pay $100 a year for music, which in my experience for all the world’s music is a tremendous bargain, you should have access to music …

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• 6 March

  Smartphones with ginormous screens (roundup)

  

  For some of you, there’s no such thing as too huge when it comes to smartphone screens. The larger the display, the more space you have for reading e-books and news stories, playing games, and immersing yourself in photos and video graphics. Whether you have enormous mitts, the desire for a smartphone that performs tablet functions, or just a penchant …

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• 6 March

  Motorola punches up phones with college colors, designs

  

  Motorola now lets college sports fans design a custom Moto X with school colors and cases. Motorola Motorola on Friday introduced a number of new features to the Moto Maker phone customization experience. Related stories Motorola’s new Moto X coming this summer? Moto X’s Moto Maker unmasked Moto X review Effective immediately, customers who design their custom Moto X smartphone …

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• 6 March

  Google turns to LG for Nexus 6, report says

  

  Don’t look now, but the Nexus smartphone rumor mill is churning yet again. According to a recent Gizmodo Germany (translate) report, Google has tasked LG once again with designing the next-gen Nexus handset. Related stories: Google Barge arriving in Stockton this morning Google exec: Android adoption most successful in history Shorten, track URLs on Android with Google URL Shortener Details, …

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