December, 2011

• 20 December

  iMessages aren’t secure when you lose your iOS device

  

  When iOS 5 was released alongside the iPhone 4S earlier this fall, iMessage was introduced as a new, all-encompassing messaging service that would connect all iOS device users for free using their unique Apple IDs. iMessage, however, may have a critical downfall when it comes to securely erasing access if you lose your device. Apple …

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• 20 December

  T

  

  T-Mobile’s parent company, Deutsche Telekom, may be losing out on $39 billion from its failed attempt to merge with AT&T, but on Tuesday the company gave a bit more detail on its consolation prize. CNET But will the breakup fee be enough to save T-Mobile? On Monday, AT&T announced that it had ended its pursuit to buy T-Mobile. The company …

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• 20 December

  LightSquared to FCC: Give us our approval now

  

  LightSquared is done with the government’s hemming and hawing, and is pressuring for approval to use its spectrum to build a next-generation wireless network. In the company’s most aggressively worded message to the Federal Communications Commission, LightSquared argues that the GPS industry has no right to seek protection from the potential interference that LightSquared’s network could cause. It said today …

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• 20 December

  For T

  

  AT&T won’t buy T-Mobile after all as the $39 billion deal was scuttled over regulatory concerns. Now the real sport begins: watching T-Mobile’s fate unfold. The scenarios go like this: T-Mobile will continue to be a fourth-rate carrier that lacks Apple’s iPhone. The faux 4G pitch will eventually wear thin for T-Mobile. T-Mobile will wither away over time without AT&T. …

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• 20 December

  Justice Department reportedly probing Verizon

  

  Verizon Wireless’ deal with cable providers is facing scrutiny from the Justice Department. That’s according to a report today from Bloomberg, citing an anonymous source. The report said the Justice Department would look at whether Verizon would control too much spectrum, and whether the cross-selling component of the deal would violate antitrust laws. Verizon earlier this month shored up its …

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• 20 December

  Apple wins patent for starting, switching applications during phone calls

  

  Every now and then a particular patent application gets granted that seems obvious, especially because almost every other company that competes in that space does the same thing on their product. The latest such patent was granted to Apple and covers the ability to start and switch apps while continuing a phone call in the background. Patently Apple As soon …

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• 20 December

  Amazon updates Kindle Fire, breaks root

  

  Amazon released a promised over-the-air update for its Kindle Fire this evening. Amazon says the update “enhances fluidity and performance, improves touch navigation responsiveness, [and] gives you the option to choose which items display on the carousel.” It also includes the option of adding a password lock to Wi-Fi access. The update, which will be delivered automatically to the devices, …

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• 20 December

  Nokia Lumia 800 battery bug blamed on software

  

  Nokia has officially admitted the Nokia Lumia 800‘s battery woes are down to a software bug, and promised a solution in the new year software update. Owners of the new Lumia 800, Nokia’s first Windows Phone, have reported assorted problems with the battery and charging the phone. But Nokia now says, “The good news is that as this is a …

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• 20 December

  Samsung announces Ice Cream Sandwich plans for Galaxy line

  

  Now that it’s launched Ice Cream Sandwich on its Galaxy Nexus, Samsung today became the latest hardware maker to outline Android 4.0 updates for its remaining smartphones and tablets. A posting on the company’s blog tells us that most, if not all, of its Galaxy device lineup from 2011 will see Ice Cream Sandwich. So if you’re keeping track, that …

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• 20 December

  Google presses pause on Android Ice Cream Sandwich updates

  

  Google’s Ice Cream Sandwich software update is hardly truckin’ it. The Android 4.0 release, which the company promised last week would roll out to Samsung Nexus S owners, has hit a snag. Frustrated users on Google’s Android forum and elsewhere, have complained of over-the-air downloads failing to correctly install, leaving them with the previous software version, Android 2.3 Gingerbread. “Mine …

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