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CES 2022 will not be canceled despite a surge of new Covid-19 infections. Though last-minute plans have made it a hybrid event with a physical show in Las Vegas and a digital component for those unable or unwilling to attend in person. In the weeks leading up to the event, numerous companies reconsi...

Google on Tuesday released an updated version of its Phone app for Android with a new spam protection feature that warns users when an incoming call is likely to be spam. It also lets them block numbers and report spam. The app is available on Google Play. The spam warning feature works on Nexus a...

BQ last week opened an Ubuntu global store accessible to anyone who wants to buy an Aquaris Ubuntu Edition handset. BQ recently launched the BQ Aquaris E4.5 and E5 HD Ubuntu Edition smartphones in Europe. Both BQ and Canonical, which provides commercial support for Ubuntu Linux, have acknowledged ne...

Google this week confirmed that it's preparing to launch a mobile payments framework called "Android Pay." Google SVP of Product Sundar Pichai discussed the project at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. Android Pay will be an API layer of Android. Google will incorporate standard feature...

In 1996, two Stanford University students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, created a unique search engine called "BackRub" that ran on the school's server. After one year, BackRub's bandwidth outgrew the university's needs. Its creators rebranded BackRub into Google, a respelled reference to "googol." I...

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...

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 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...

Remember the holographic message Princess Leia sent asking Obi Wan Kenobi for help in the movie "Star Wars"" That's apparently what Android 3.0, code-named "Honeycomb," will make mobile communications seem like. "There will be heavy use of 3D-like interfaces throughout to create the impression of a ...

Google released Android 2.3, or Gingerbread, on Monday -- a new version of its open source mobile platform. Gingerbread made its debut on the Samsung Nexus S smartphone. The new platform comes with enhancements such as a more refined touchscreen keyboard for faster typing and greater accuracy. There...

T-Mobile officially unveiled its G2 smartphone, the successor to the world's first Android-powered mobile phone, touting its faster Web-browsing experience and direct integration with Google services. The G2, which is designed specifically for T-Mobile's new HSPA+ network, features downloads at "4G ...

When Samsung's Android-powered Galaxy S makes its U.S. debut in the coming months, it will do so as five different phones tailored for five different carriers. AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular will all support a Galaxy S device, though the handset will be renamed and recast slig...

Verizon Wireless unveiled the much-anticipated Motorola Droid X on Wednesday. The device, which Motorola variously describes as a touch tablet and a pocket-sized home theater, runs Android version 2.1. It will be updated over the air to run on Android 2.2 later in the year. When that happens, the Dr...

The Garmin-Asus partnership Wednesday announced the new Garminfone, an Android-based smartphone that will be available on the T-Mobile USA network. This 3G device has a 3.5-inch screen and will be available later this year. The Garminfone follows last year's release of the Nuvifone G60, which was no...

The Nexus One smartphone is now compatible with AT&T's 3G network in the United States. Though the unlocked device can be used with SIM cards from most GSM operators worldwide, frequency differences meant its 3G compatibility was previously limited to T-Mobile's network in the U.S. The Android-b...