February, 2014

• 20 February

  If WhatsApp can fetch $19B, what’s BlackBerry’s BBM worth?

  

  You might think that Facebook’s acquisition of WhatsApp for $19 billion suggests that BlackBerry is sitting on a gold mine with its BBM messenger service. Well, not so fast. Facebook shocked the market on Wednesday with the purchase of messaging app WhatsApp in a deal that included $16 billion in cash and stock, and another …

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• 20 February

  Nokia Lumia Icon goes on sale today at Verizon

  

  Verizon’s newest flagship Windows Phone, the Nokia Lumia Icon, goes on sale today, Thursday, February 20. If you want to pick one up, head into a Verizon store or grab one off Verizon’s Web site. Related stories: Your Phone Screen Is Gross. Here’s How to Clean It Without Causing Damage Nokia’s Newest Phone Is a T9-Era Throwback With Wireless Earbud …

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• 20 February

  Ericsson to show off 450Mbps LTE mobile networking

  

  Telecommunications equipment maker Ericsson will show a new variety of LTE mobile networking next week that can reach data rates of 450 megabits per second. The demonstration, at the Mobile World Congress show in Barcelona, uses a technology called carrier aggregation, which broadly speaking combines signals from multiple base stations and multiple radio frequency bands. Carrier aggregation is used in …

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• 20 February

  Another HTC One 2 leak shows new colors for handset sequel

  

  The next HTC One is poised for some color changes, according to a new report. The Twitter account @evleaks, which has been reliably leaking product images for quite some time, has revealed two new versions of the upcoming sequel to the HTC One. The first model comes in a dark gray, while the other features a silver finish. Another Twitter …

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• 20 February

  CNET’s social media team for Mobile World Congress 2014

  

  Beginning this weekend, the largest CNET team ever will on the ground in Barcelona, Spain, to cover Mobile World Congress. The world’s most important wireless trade show, Mobile World Congress delivers a bounty of new smartphones, tablets, and everything mobile. To get the latest hands-on videos and photos, interviews, device news, live blogs, and analysis, visit our Mobile World Congress …

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• 20 February

  EE 4G lands in UK airports as two million customers sign up

  

  EE has signed up nearly two million people to 4G. And the UK’s first 4G network is reaching even more people with 4G signal in 14 new towns — plus airports including Heathrow, Gatwick and Stansted. EE revealed the figures in its financial results for the end of 2013. A whopping 816,000 people signed up to a 4G contract in …

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• 20 February

  This is where you’ll find your next smartphone

  

  “Congress” usually isn’t a word that inspires excitement, but the Mobile World Congress is anything but usual. Held every February in Barcelona, Spain, it is the the premier global event for the wireless industry. Think of a smaller CES, but pack it with only smartphones, tablets, and everything mobile, and you’ll get the idea. Then, drop it all in one …

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• 20 February

  Libon to IM friends for free, even if they don’t have its app

  

  Now playing: Watch this: Libon Open Chat takes on WhatsApp with HTML5 IM tech 1:22 European operator Orange’s Libon messaging and calling app will add a new feature that lets you send text, picture, and audio messages to your contacts for free — even if they’re not Libon users themselves. The Open Chat feature goes live on iOS later Thursday, …

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• 20 February

  Google Project Tango: a phone that maps your world

  

  Google has created a prototype Android phone that has a human-like understanding of the space through which it moves. (Screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET Australia) Google has just revealed one of the reasons why it kept Motorola’s Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) division when it sold off the company earlier this year: Project Tango. Project Tango is a prototype smartphone with …

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• 20 February

  T

  

  If you make a lot of overseas phone calls, T-Mobile might have the plan for you. T-Mobile Chief Marketing Officer Mike Sievert said in a blog post on Thursday said it would expand its Stateside International Talk & Text plan to add a new $15 option that would include unlimited mobile-to-mobile calling to more than 30 countries and up to …

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