Mobile

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...

Sun Microsystems' loss was Google's gain on Monday, as former Sun guru Tim Bray announced that he's joined Google's Android push in the role of Developer Advocate. "Google and I have been a plausible match for a long time," Bray wrote in a blog post announcing the decision. "Web-centric, check. Sear...

Users of Android smartphones now have a new option for browsing the Web: A beta version of Opera Mini 5 was released Thursday for the Linux-based Android platform. New features in the software, which is an upgrade to the current version 4.2, include tabbed browsing, which lets users browse several W...

With its $99 price, the new Android-based Motorola Backflip clearly stands apart from Apple's iPhone on more than just appearance. Both are smartphones, to be sure, and both are offered through AT&T. They also provide many of the same features and functionality. However, in addition to their dif...

With its $99 price, the new Android-based Motorola Backflip clearly stands apart from Apple's iPhone on more than just appearance. Both are smartphones, to be sure, and both are offered through AT&T. They also provide many of the same features and functionality. However, in addition to their dif...

The lawsuit Apple filed this week may target smartphone maker HTC, but Cupertino is likely shooting for much bigger prey. Specifically, Google is the real focus of Apple's wrath, said Chris Hazelton, research director for mobile and wireless with the 451 Group. Based on the details of the lawsuit, "...

Smartphone manufacturing giant HTC on Tuesday unveiled three new smartphones and announced upgrades to its Sense user interface at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. Two of the smartphones -- the Legend and the Desire -- run the Sense UI on top of Android. The third, the HD mini, runs Sense on ...

EXPERT ADVICE

Open Source: Fuel for the Smartphone Explosion

It may not seem obvious at first, but the tragic earthquake in Haiti, the historic election that put a Massachusetts Republican in the U.S. Senate and the 2010 Super Bowl all have something in common: the smartphone. During each event, billions of consumers around the globe were glued to their phone...

Google's Nexus One phone is a winner, according to Linus Torvalds, founder of the operating system it's based on. "I generally hate phones," explained Torvalds, who is known as "the father of Linux," in a blog post on Saturday. "At the same time I love the concept of having a phone that runs Linux, ...

When the Symbian Foundation announced the opening up of its namesake smartphone platform on Thursday, it caused a major shift not just in the mobile landscape but also in the FOSS world. Announced by Nokia back in 2008, the transition of the leading platform from proprietary code to open source was ...

When Google unveiled its wildly hyped Nexus One phone last week, it described the device as more than just another Android smartphone. Rather, it dubbed the new handset as one of an emerging class known as "superphones" and "an exemplar of what's possible on mobile phones through Android," as vice p...

Motorola appears to be gearing up to release its Android-powered Sholes handset in China, kicking into high gear the many rumors that have been circulating in the U.S. about the device. Dubbed the "Moto XT701," Sholes appeared alongside the previously announced Motorola MT710 on the company's Chines...

One of the problems with smartphones up to now is that they behaved more like a computer than a cellphone. That's not the case with the Moment, Samsung's new smartphone based on Google's Android operating system. Android's use of a touchscreen for navigation and easy-to-use applications -- a la the ...

Motorola is rumored to be bringing another Android phone to market -- one that's named either "Backflip" or "Enzo," according to information and photos leaked by an anonymous source. The device supposedly will run on the AT&T Wireless network. The most striking thing about it, based on the photo...

Motorola is rumored to be bringing another Android phone to market -- one that's named either "Backflip" or "Enzo," according to information and photos leaked by an anonymous source. The device supposedly will run on the AT&T Wireless network. The most striking thing about it, based on the photo...

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