Google’s Motorola acquisition clears EU regulators’ hurdles; U.S. is next

Google’s planned acquisition of Motorola Mobility has just officially passed muster in the European Union.

Regulators had put the deal on hold in both the U.S. and EU pending investigation for possible antitrust issues.

“We’re happy that today the European Commission approved our proposed acquisition of Motorola Mobility, which we announced in August,” wrote Google VP and deputy general counsel Don Harrison today on the company blog.

“This is an important milestone in the approval … Continue Reading

Bluetooth-accessory startup Mosoro gets $1.5M in funding

Mosoro, a startup that makes Bluetooth hardware with complimentary smartphone apps, has raised $1.5 million in its first round of funding.

Mosoro creates “appcessories,” or Bluetooth devices with dedicated companion apps for iOS and Android. The company has made two Bluetooth devices so far, 3-D Sport and Weather, and has two more in the works, Talk, and Bonsai. They all connect with smartphone apps to record motion, report weather conditions, play audio, stream video, and … Continue Reading

Got big pockets? Samsung’s Galaxy Note headed to AT&T on Feb. 19 for $300

Skinny jeans wearers need not apply. AT&T announced Tuesday that Samsung’s massive 5.3-inch Galaxy Note — which was one of the most intriguing devices at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show — will be available in the U.S. on February 19 for $300 with contract.

The Galaxy Note occupies a weird space between a smartphones and a tablets, but for some it may just be the perfect balance of the two form factors. Pre-orders for the … Continue Reading

New to-do list app Clear simplifies and color-codes organization

Is there such a thing as being too organized? A new to-do app called Clear aims to cut down on the amount of time you spend managing to-do lists so that you can actually, well, do things. The app is being demoed for the first time Thursday at the Macworld/iWorld expo in San Francisco.

There is no shortage of feature-filled to-do apps in the App Store. Apple even launched its own in October called Reminders, … Continue Reading

Motorola sues Apple over iPhone 4S and iCloud alleged patent violations

The world’s leaders in mobile technology are really just one big, happy, patent-lawsuit-embroiled family, aren’t they?

Today, Motorola filed a new lawsuit against Apple, alleging patent infringement for software and hardware, and it included the iPhone 4S and Apple’s iCloud storage system in the complaint.

According to Reuters, the patents in question related to wireless antennae, messaging, data filtering, and other software technologies.

The case was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern … Continue Reading

Nokia’s first U.S. Windows Phone already free on contract — and that’s a good thing

That was quick. Just days after its introduction on the U.S. market, Nokia’s least-expensive Windows Phone, the Lumia 710, is being sold for free with a 2-year contract at Walmart stores.

Nokia and Microsoft made a huge push last week at the Consumer Electronics Show with their Windows Phone offerings, and the upcoming Nokia Lumia 900 even topped our list of 10 most promising products revealed at CES. But the first Nokia Windows Phone in … Continue Reading

Holiday shopping season: Kmart loses, Amazon wins (infographic)

This holiday shopping season produced winners and losers for retailers, the entertainment industry and restaurants. Some companies — including Amazon and Walmart — recorded high sales numbers and increased customer satisfaction. Others didn’t fare as well.

With record-high Cyber Monday and Black Friday sales, online retailers came out as winners this year. The music industry, especially because of the sales of holiday music, had a strong season as well. Given that many people flock to … Continue Reading

iPhone owners likely to invest in Apple, but not even Blackberry users want RIM stock

You may love your phone, but do you love it enough to invest in the company that makes it? Well, if you own an iPhone you are more likely to also own Apple stock, a recent survey reveals.

SigFig, an investment tracking and advice website, conducted a survey of its 300,000 members to find out how loyal mobile customers are to the brand behind their phone. The results show that 16 percent of iPhone owners … Continue Reading

Motorola’s rugged Admiral Android smartphone will retail for $99

Motorola’s Admiral, the phone maker’s latest Android smartphone, will start selling next week for $99 with a Sprint contract.

In the under-$100 price range, we’re accustomed to seeing flimsy, teeny-bopper touchscreens, but this bad boy seems geared toward the professional and enterprise market.

The specs include a 3.1-inch touchscreen, a 5MP camera, a 1.2GHz processor and a text-friendly QWERTY keyboard. The Admiral will ship with Android 2.3, a.k.a. Gingerbread.

Also, as the militaristic name might … Continue Reading

New smartphone ultrasound device is (finally) available

In February 2011, Mobisante got the green light from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for its mobile, smartphone-powered ultrasound device. It took the medical device startup another eight months to meet the various FDA guidelines, but now its MobiUS SP1 Ultrasound System is finally available for commercial sales starting this month.

The medical device industry is itching to go mobile, but first it has to get the Food and Drug Administration to pick up … Continue Reading

Fans still holding vigil for Steve Jobs outside Apple Store (photo gallery)

Apple fans are nowhere near done paying their respects to the man who arguably jump-started the smartphone revolution.

Dozens of fans are still gathering at the Apple retail store in New York City and across the country to pay their respects to Steve Jobs, the company’s former chief executive officer, who passed away on Wednesday at age 56. Some left notes, some left flowers, some left apples and personal messages. A security official on staff … Continue Reading

AT&T’s $29.99 Impulse 4G hits stores September 18th

AT&T has announced its new smartphone, the Impulse 4G, will be available on September 18th, 2011. With a contract, the Impulse 4G is just $29.99.

The Impulse 4G a Huawei-sourced Android 2.2 device with a 3.8-inch display and a 5-megapixel camera with 720p video capture.

That just might be the magic number for a phone that isn’t LTE and runs on Android 2.2 (the platform is a bit dated). Perhaps your holiday gift giving dilemma … Continue Reading

Google plugs free Nexus S deal on its search page

Google added a link to on its search page today promoting a free Samsung Nexus S smartphone one-day deal at Best Buy. It’s an effort to boost adoption of the device.

The Google-branded Nexus S, which is available on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile – but not Verizon – is free when signing a two-year contract. The device runs Google’s Android operating system and is currently the only smartphone that works with Google Wallet — an … Continue Reading

Apple tops Nokia for mobile ad requests in Europe

For the first time ever, Apple has screeched ahead of Nokia devices to be the top manufacturer when it comes to European mobile ad requests, according to ad network InMobi‘s latest Mobile Insights report.

“The Q2 2011 results show another major inflection point for mobile advertising in Europe,” writes InMobi’s Rob Jonas, VP of Europe and Middle East operations. “Smart devices, driven by iPad, iPhone, and Android devices, are now defining the mobile experience for … Continue Reading

Apple’s iPhone OS surpasses BlackBerry in popularity contest

Apple’s iPhone operating system is now more popular than Research in Motion’s BlackBerry smartphone operating system, according to the latest usage statistics from comScore.

Both take a back seat to Google’s Android, which has a growing lead as the most popular smartphone OS.

More than a quarter of all smartphone users had iPhones as of the end of May, according to comScore’s survey of more than 30,000 mobile phone owners. The numbers put Apple’s iOS … Continue Reading

Next iPhone to carry A5 and 8-megapixel camera, coming in September?

The next version of the iPhone, dubbed by most to be the “iPhone 5,” will carry Apple’s A5 processor and sport an 8-megapixel camera, according to a report by Bloomberg News.

Two people familiar with the device’s plans told Bloomberg reporters that the phone would come out sometime in September, which is in line with most reports that Apple would release the device sometime this fall. The sources also said Apple is working on another … Continue Reading

World Health Organization: cell phones possibly carcinogenic (updated)

Cell phone radiation might be carcinogenic — meaning the radiation could be linked to some cases of cancer — according to a panel assembled by the World Health Organization (WHO) to study the effects of the devices.

The WHO’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) previously held that cell phone radiation was not carcinogenic. That partly silenced many critics who claimed cell phone radiation was causing brain tumors and that cell phones were more … Continue Reading

Intel will get inside smartphones by early 2012

The world’s largest chipmaker Intel will make its way to smartphones early next year, the company’s CEO Paul Otellini revealed today to investors.

He also rejected the idea that the company would adopt rival manufacturer ARM’s technology for the mobile chipsets. He was sharing his vision at Intel’s annual investor event in Santa Clara, Reuters reports.

Getting to mobile devices is a big deal for Intel. The company is the dominant desktop and notebook chip … Continue Reading

Samsung files patent countersuits against Apple

Samsung Electronics has filed patent countersuits against Apple in South Korea, Japan and Germany, responding to last week’s lawsuit from Apple about how Samsung’s smartphones and tablets copied Apple’s products.

Samsung said that Apple infringes five patents, but didn’t specify the technologies involved. The stakes are high and the litigation is just one among a number of companies jockeying to become the ultimate power in smartphones. Other lawsuits involve Apple against Nokia and HTC, Microsoft … Continue Reading

Analyst: Motorola Xoom and Atrix are duds

Motorola’s tablet computer, the Xoom, and the Atrix smartphone it designed to replace a notebook computer are duds that can’t compete for market share, according to Pacific Crest analyst James Faucette.

Sales opportunities for both the Xoom and the Atrix, which plugs into a separate keyboard and screen to basically replicate a notebook, have been slim because there is a lot of competition that is much cheaper, Faucette said. That includes cheap but very powerful … Continue Reading