Asurion AddressBook unlocks Android’s social media potential
A new application called Asurion AddressBook launches on the Android Market tomorrow, opening up new ways to use social media on the phone — and instantly making the iPhone look even more outdated for not running applications in the background and its lower app integration. Asurion AddressBook can be downloaded here.
At its core, the application is an address book that integrates various app feeds, just like the Palm Pre, Motoblur, or what Friendfeed does on… Continue Reading
Nokia and Symbian: Forget about Android, it’s all about Cutey (Qt)
Nokia, the world’s largest phone handset maker, is denying reports stemming from “industry insiders” that it is developing a smartphone that runs on Google’s Android software. Nokia said, “everyone knows that Symbian is our preferred platform for advanced mobile devices.”
However, the truth may be more complicated. Nokia is instead embracing something called Qt, a software toolbox for developers, which lets those developers port their applications to any of the major operating systems. At the moment,… Continue Reading
Palm launches an app store that’s already half the size of the iPhone’s and ten times Android’s, but…
When Apple launched the App Store this past summer it became, if nothing else, the thought leader in mobile innovation. Now everyone’s playing follow the leader. BlackBerry, Symbian, Microsoft and Google Android have all built, announced or are at work on their own “app stores.” And today, another big name joins them: Palm.
On the plus side, Palm’s new app store is live right now. That puts it ahead of BlackBerry, Symbian and Microsoft’s native app… Continue Reading
Interview with Symbian’s David Wood: We can match iPhone’s success
The Goliath of the mobile world, Nokia, is holding an event for its partners today, that will likely further outline the action plan for its phone operating system, Symbian, for the near future.
The Symbian Partner Event, as it’s called, takes place just two days after Nokia finalized the complete acquisition of Symbian, and is significant because it comes at a time when Nokia is under immense pressure from competing mobile platforms.
Right now, the coolest apps… Continue Reading
Mobile browser Skyfire comes to Symbian devices. We have 100 private beta invites
The iPhone’s Safari web browser has ignited interest in browsing the “real web” on mobile devices, but it’s not the only mobile browser out there. Skyfire lets you see the web just as you would on your home computer but on a number of Windows Mobile-based devices. Today, it’s launching the beta version of its software for the Symbian platform as well.
Specifically, this version is built for the Symbian Series 60 (S60) platform, which is… Continue Reading
Virgin Mobile buys (once) high-flying Helio for $50M, as mobile consolidation begins
Virgin Mobile USA has agreed to acquire Helio mobile phone division from SK Telecom and Earthlink for an investment that totals $50 million.
The deal is part of a consolidation trend in mobile. Nokia this week agreed to buy Symbian, the mobile phone software maker, for $329 million. And Microsoft agreed yesterday to buy Portugal’s Mobicomp. Mobicomp is a mobile software company specializing in the storage and backup of data.
The deal ends a high-profile attempt by… Continue Reading
Nokia buys Symbian, opens it for war with Google Android
With Apple’s iPhone and Google’s Android platform getting all the press these days, it’s easy to forget that another company, Nokia, is still by far and away the worldwide leader in mobile sales. It is a sleeping giant. And with the two noisy newcomers in its cave, it has awoken — and it’s hungry.
Not even a day after the buzz-worthy purchase of the location-based mobile social network, Plazes, Nokia has made a much larger move…. Continue Reading
Roundup: Yahoo’s China troubles, Google’s game ads, and more
1) Yahoo’s Yang lambasted by Congress for China actions
2) Social networks eclipse email in the UK
3) Yet another “semantic” search engine launches
4) Coming to a gas station pump near you: Google maps
5) Coming to online games this year: Google ads
6) Mobile web browser Opera Mini 4 out now
7) Forbes aquires majority stake in political blog site RealClearPolitics.com
Google-led Android mobile phone software has a long way to go, says rival
Yahoo’s Yang lambasted by Congress for China… Continue Reading