June, 2012

• 1 June

  Nano

  

  The European Telecommunications Standards Institute (ETSI) announced today that its committee has come to an agreement on the Nano-SIM standard. There’s just one issue: the organization didn’t say which technology was chosen. According to ETSI, its Smart Card Platform Technical Committee agreed to a new form factor for the SIM card, called the “fourth form …

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• 1 June

  Verizon leaps into connected car biz with Hughes buy

  

  Verizon has agreed to buy Hughes Telematics for $612 million, bolstering its efforts to hook cars up with wireless service. The New York telecommunications company said today that the all-cash deal would expand its ability to serve the fleet and automotive telematic industries. The deal is expected to close in the third quarter, and Verizon said it plans to retain …

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• 1 June

  Android still dominates U.S. smartphone market

  

  Android continues to dominate the U.S. smartphone market, according to data released today by market researcher ComScore. Google’s mobile operating system captured 50.8 percent of the market for the three months ending in April, a 2.2 percent increase over the three months ending in January. Meanwhile, Apple’s iOS accounted for 31.4 percent of the market in April, a 1.9 percent …

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• 1 June

  The five handiest smartphone apps ever

  

  Technology advances so rapidly these days, it’s easy to become jaded, to take for granted the minor miracles we can now accomplish using our phones. For example, yesterday I met my wife for lunch in an unfamiliar area of town. We were both in the mood for Thai, so I pulled out my iPhone, fired up a certain app, and …

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• 1 June

  Nokia smacks Google for ‘patent troll’ charges

  

  Nokia has hit back at Google after the search giant charged Microsoft and Nokia with collusion and using patent trolls to discourage device makers from using Android. “Though we have not yet seen the complaint, Google’s suggestion that Nokia and Microsoft are colluding on intellectual property rights is wrong,” Nokia spokesman Mark Durrant told Reuters today. “Both companies have their …

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• 1 June

  Samsung Galaxy S2 and S sales hit 50m, 7m Notes flogged

  

  Sales of shiny Samsung gadgets remain strong, with the Korean company shifting over 50 million Galaxy S and S2 mobiles to date, The Verge reports. Samsung’s also managed to flog a whopping 7 million Galaxy Notes so far. That’s an increase of 2 million since the end of March, and is enough Notes to build a full-scale ancient Egyptian pyramid. Probably. …

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• 1 June

  Apple’s digital storefronts rumored to get a face

  

  Apple Apple’s trio of digital storefronts are getting a visual overhaul soon, according to a new rumor. Citing anonymous sources, Apple blog 9to5Mac said today that the iTunes Store, the App Store, and the iBookstore are getting visual overhauls that will bring “more interactivity.” What that actually entails is unclear. The report adds that the change will also add more …

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• 1 June

  AT&T CEO says ‘toll free’ data plans coming soon

  

  If tiered data pricing is stopping you from downloading to your heart’s content, AT&T says there may be a solution. AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said content providers want to pay for consumer access, which means “toll free” data plans are a likely development in the next 12 months, FierceWireless reported today. Stephenson said the plans would exclude certain types of …

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• 1 June

  Vacationing abroad this summer? Keep iPhone charges in check

  

  Summer is here. And for lots of people that means it’s time for a vacation abroad. So what should you do about your smartphone to ensure you don’t get surprised with a massive phone bill upon your return? If you’re planning to leave the U.S., you might want to consider taking a few precautions before you leave to make sure …

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• 1 June

  U.S. Cellular lays new prepaid plans on the table

  

  U.S. Cellular is launching three new voice, text, and data plans today for a prepaid lineup that includes both Android smartphones and feature phones. Both of the two new data plans include unlimited nationwide voice and messaging. Smartphone owners will get 2GB data for $65 per month, and feature phone users will get 1GB data for $50 per month. The …

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