Mobile

With the rumor mill still in overdrive following reports of a new, Google-branded Android phone going on sale directly to consumers as early as Jan. 5, it's not yet clear what effect it may have on the broader cellphone market. Widely referred to as the "Nexus One," the HTC-manufactured phone will l...

Looking to turn your Android smartphone into a handy stimulation device? There's an app for that, thanks to a Seattle-based startup that's offering developers and consumers an X-rated version of a smartphone app store. MiKandi launched a developer's portal last week with the express purpose of using...

Google has rolled out a new version of its free Google Maps Navigation application that's compatible with smartphones running the Android 1.6 operating system, such as T-Mobile's myTouch 3G and its G1. When the app was introduced last month in beta, it could only be used by smartphones running Andro...

Google on Thursday opened the source code for its fledgling Chrome operating system to developers. This means "Google developers will be working on the same tree as external developers, and we're looking forward to working with the open source community," said Sunder Pichai, vice president of produc...

Three months after Nokia announced its N900 smartphone, the device has arrived in the United States. The N900 runs on the Linux-based Maemo platform, and Nokia's hype around it raises questions about whether the company plans to replace its older Symbian platform with Maemo. Meanwhile, rumors that N...

The Android army gained yet another recruit Monday with the release of Samsung's Galaxy Spica phone in Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, or former Soviet republics. Equipped with an 800 MHz application processor and DivX support, the new device -- also known as the "I5700" -- report...

After months of rumors, Dell has confirmed its intention to become a major player in the smartphone sector, announcing partnerships with China Mobile and Brazil-based Claro, which is part of the America Movil network. This is not a regional or emerging market strategy on the part of Dell. "We plan t...

Does the mobile phone world really need yet another platform, open source or otherwise? South Korean-based electronics firm Samsung answered yes to that question on Tuesday when it announced the launch of Bada. Bada, the Korean word for "ocean," is a new open platform that Samsung hopes will become ...

If I had my way, I would encourage Verizon Wireless to invest in both hologram technology and more "Star Wars" film rights. That would allow the carrier to hire an Alec Guinness lookalike who could pop up in 3-D visions in Verizon stores across the country, wave his hand over racks full of Motorola'...

Verizon Wireless is stoking the excitement around its upcoming Motorola Droid smartphone, which it will officially put on sale on Friday. The buzz on the Droid isn't driven entirely by a marketing team, though. The phone's hardware has received many positive reviews, and it will be the first phone t...

When the Verizon Droid from Motorola arrives next month, it will include a new version of the Android Operating system. Android 2.0, also known as "Eclair," will no doubt show up in lots of other new smartphones over the coming months. Android 2.0 ushers in a host of new features. Perhaps the one th...

Following a spate of rumors, leaked specifications, and an ad campaign explicitly challenging the iPhone, Verizon and Motorola on Wednesday officially announced Droid, the first smartphone based on Android 2.0. Featuring high-speed Web browsing, voice-activated search, a customizable large screen, p...

On Oct. 30, Verizon Wireless is widely expected to launch the Motorola Droid, its entry into the Android smartphone market. It's ramping up to the event by kicking off an ad campaign that appears to put the Apple iPhone firmly in the crosshairs. Although Verizon hasn't officially announced details o...

Acer has announced details surrounding two hotly anticipated mobile devices running Google's Android mobile operating system: the Liquid A1 touchscreen smartphone, which Acer first said it was developing when it joined the Open Handset Alliance earlier this year; and the Aspire One netbook, which is...

Two security flaws recently uncovered in Android 1.5 could have enabled malicious denial of service attacks on users of the mobile platform, according to an advisory released last week by the Open Source Computer Emergency Response Team. The first of the flaws, which affected Android's handling of S...