Archive

Minimal signal bars? In the middle of nowhere? Your phone should automatically roam onto alternative networks designated by carrier roaming agreements, but sometimes it doesn't -- the phone can appear biased towards your home network. I've been looking at Roam Control, an Android app -- not avail...

Samsung has rolled out the first official Android 4.1 Jelly Bean updates for its Galaxy S III smartphone. Customers in Poland are reportedly getting the update first. Samsung will apparently roll out the update to customers in other countries later this month. A slew of Android devices that are re...

With the preponderance of data quotas imposed by telcos on mobile phone usage and the rapid introduction of data-hogging apps -- in particular, those related to TV and music -- it may well be time to investigate counters. Counters let you see how much data you're using, and warn you of potential ove...

Advanced penetration testing product maker Pwnie Express has unveiled a new tester that looks just like a power strip. The Power Pwn is a fully integrated enterprise-class device that can be used over Ethernet, wireless or Bluetooth connections. It is priced at $1,300 and is currently available for ...

Samsung's forthcoming Galaxy S III smartphone will be the company's first device to be officially branded and sold under its new SAFE program. SAFE stands for "Samsung Approved for Enterprise." The Galaxy S III will be available in the U.S. from Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and U.S.

Visual voicemail functionality is the visual element in a voicemail application that allows text to be transcribed and displayed on the phone -- or more simply, message headers, or envelopes, are displayed textually in a list. Options often include push to email and SMS. It's been around in various ...

Ever since the Galaxy Nexus, the Samsung-built Android phone that will usher in Ice Cream Sandwich, was announced in Hong Kong in October, the device has been making the headlines. On Thursday alone, there were stories about its launch in Canada, Verizon Wireless' excluding Google Wallet from the de...

A slew of free texting apps are out there right now, and they have the potential to cut your phone bill by enabling you to bypass your phone carrier's SMS functions. These third-party solutions take advantage of data networks, including the Internet, to send and receive texts, and they let you text ...

Users of eight HTC smartphones will be among the first to receive an upgrade to Google's new Android Ice Cream Sandwich. The company described the set of devices named as "the first wave" of HTC phones that will receive upgrades, adding that "we're continuing to assess our product portfolio, so stay...

Google unveiled Android 4.0, aka "Ice Cream Sandwich," in Hong Kong on Wednesday. The presentation was accompanied by Samsung's announcement of the Galaxy Nexus, the first smartphone running Ice Cream Sandwich. Ice Cream Sandwich is a redesign of the Android OS. It has a highly visual interface, a f...

Google has added new near-field communications capabilities to Android 2.3, aka "Gingerbread," via a small feature release, version 2.3.3. NFC lets consumers use their mobile devices make purchases and exchange data with other devices, among other things. The new features include a comprehensive NFC...

Google will reportedly allow in-app payment abilities in Android applications sometime this quarter. Android Developer Ecosystem Manager Eric Chu announced this at the Inside Social Apps conference in San Francisco Tuesday, according to reports. In-app payments will let Android app users purchase vi...

Mobile malware may grow as a security threat this year, but security researcher Ralf-Philipp Weinmann says there's a worse threat lurking around -- the GSM baseband system. The threat from hacking GSM baseband systems has been largely ignored, Weinmann reportedly told the audience at a presentation ...

A flap has arisen between ITG Investment Research and market intelligence blog Asymco over data regarding Verizon, Android and Research In Motion sales figures. Android's strong showing is killing off the RIM BlackBerry, according to an Asymco analysis, based on a report from ITG Investment Research...