Mobile World Congress, here we come! What excites us most about the year’s biggest mobile event

February 24, 2012 8:44 AM Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar

More than just a getaway for fine tapas and wine, Barcelona is also home to one of the most important events in the mobile industry, Mobile World Congress. The event, which begins on Sunday at the Fira de Barcelona conference …

Samsung’s Galaxy Note is big, bold, and hopelessly dorky (review)

February 23, 2012 6:00 AM Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar

Editor's Pick

More than three years after Android launched, all too many Android devices look the same. But you can’t say that about Samsung’s mammoth Galaxy Note.

It’s far from a perfect phone, but it’s among the most interesting I’ve seen recently.…

Why Square wants to replace TVs with tablets in New York City taxis

February 21, 2012 10:03 AM Ben Popper
Ben Popper

Almost all of New York City’s iconic yellow cabs now have a TV in the back seat playing a loop of local news and entertainment. But if innovator Jack Dorsey has his way, those taxi TVs could be replaced with …

Yummy Apple rumors: iPad 3 gets thicker, iPhone 5 due for fall

February 21, 2012 7:52 AM Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar

What better way to come off the long weekend than with a bunch of Apple rumors? It looks like the iPad 3 may be getting a bit of junk in the trunk, while the iPhone 5 could be another fall …

Kindle Fire extinguisher? Barnes & Noble launches new $199 Nook Tablet, $179 Nook Color

February 21, 2012 7:45 AM Tom Cheredar
Tom Cheredar

Barnes & Noble is launching a new $199 8GB Nook Tablet to better compete against Amazon’s popular Kindle Fire Tablet, the company confirmed today.

Since the Kindle Fire’s November launch at a mere $199, the $249 Nook Tablet has had …

BlackBerry PlayBook OS 2.0: RIM’s tablet finally gets fancy features like e-mail

February 21, 2012 6:28 AM Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar

Remember the BlackBerry PlayBook? Research in Motion’s tablet stirred up quite a bit of hype last year, only to land with a thud. Now it’s getting a new breath of life, though at this point I can’t imagine anyone cares.…

Barnes & Noble to launch 8GB Nook Tablet to better fight Kindle Fire, says report

February 20, 2012 8:53 AM Sean Ludwig
Sean Ludwig

Barnes & Noble will soon launch a cheaper 8GB model of its Nook Tablet to help the company compete with Amazon’s blazing Kindle Fire sales, according to a document obtained by The Verge.

The current Nook Tablet runs $249, but …

Who needs a nanny? Parents turn to tablets to rear children

February 16, 2012 11:01 AM Jennifer Van Grove
Jennifer Van Grove

No nanny? No problem! Modern-day parents are increasingly employing tablets to entertain, teach, and occupy their children, according to survey data gathered by analytics firm Nielsen.

Seven out of 10 children under 12 (70 percent), in tablet-owning households used a …

Looking for Android differentiation, HTC may launch a streaming music service

February 15, 2012 9:14 AM Sean Ludwig
Sean Ludwig

Taiwanese phone manufacturer HTC is reportedly working on its own music streaming service, a move that would help the company differentiate its Android phones and tablets from its considerable competition.

HTC used to be one of the leading makers of …

Apple looking to douse Kindle Fire with 8-inch iPad

February 14, 2012 9:10 AM Sean Ludwig
Sean Ludwig

Apple is in the process of testing a smaller version of its iPad tablet, a product that could help it steal away market share from smaller tablets like the Kindle Fire and Samsung Galaxy Tab, according to a report by …

Samsung debuts 7-inch Galaxy Tab 2 with tasty Ice Cream Sandwich

February 13, 2012 7:10 AM Sean Ludwig
Sean Ludwig

Samsung has unveiled the successor to its first 7-inch Android tablet, but this time the device will run the latest feature-rich version of Android, Ice Cream Sandwich.

The Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0) will be one of the first tablets available …

SNL on Verizon’s 4G marketing: “It’s an old person’s nightmare”

February 12, 2012 3:13 PM Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar

While it’s pretty much hit-or-miss these days, when Saturday Night Live scores, it still does so with a vengeance.

Last night the sketch comedy show aired a segment that ripped apart Verizon’s 4G LTE marketing confusion, bringing to light the …

Apples to oranges: Google and Amazon are too timid to copy Apple’s retail success

February 10, 2012 11:23 AM Ben Popper
Ben Popper

There is a strange duality in the world of brick and mortar tech stores today. In the last four years CompUSA, Borders, and Circuit City all went out of business. Many expect Best Buy to follow in the near future. …

The “app economy” created 466K jobs, counting your developer’s favorite barista

February 7, 2012 2:55 PM Ben Popper
Ben Popper

Apps are everywhere these days, with founders from Instagram and Shazam starring in Super Bowl commercials. According to a new study from the non-partisan group TechNet, apps have created 466,000 American jobs since they arrived with the modern day smartphone …

VentureBeat’s 2012 Mobile Summit: Great minds tackle 5 key mobile issues

February 3, 2012 12:03 PM Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar

We decided to host the Mobile Summit last year after realizing that there aren't many places for mobile leaders to sit down and have a conversation. There are plenty of mobile conferences out there, including our own annual , but those events can often be crowded, and don't allow for the same sort of intimate discussions that our Mobile Summit fosters. This year we're discussing five new issues facing the industry...

Amazon stays frustratingly silent on Kindle Fire sales data

January 31, 2012 3:28 PM Tom Cheredar
Tom Cheredar

With the rumblings from Amazon about the early success of its new Kindle Fire over the holiday season, the company’s disappointing fourth quarter results came as a surprise.

More surprising was Amazon’s silence regarding total Kindle Fire sales for the …

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

January 30, 2012 12:47 PM Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar

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 …

Amazon estimated to have sold 6M Kindle Fires in Q4

January 30, 2012 12:45 PM Jennifer Van Grove
Jennifer Van Grove

Amazon will reveal its fourth quarter earnings Tuesday and finally put to bed the hottest question of the new year: Just how many Kindle Fire tablets did the company sell?

Can’t wait one more day? You’re in luck. Stifel Nicolaus …

Kindle Fire leads Android in taking a bite out of iPad market share

January 27, 2012 4:40 PM Jennifer Van Grove
Jennifer Van Grove

Good sales of Amazon’s Kindle Fire tablet led to significant gains for Google’s Android operating system in tablet market share during the fourth quarter of 2011, according to new data from mobile analytics firm Flurry.

Flurry, which purports to measure …

Samsung’s Galaxy S II leads it to record profit of $4.7B

January 26, 2012 9:50 PM Devindra Hardawar
Devindra Hardawar

It’s good to be the Android king: Samsung today announced its record fourth quarter earnings, in which it saw operating profits of 5.3 trillion won (around $4.7 billion) on revenues of 47.3 trillion won (around $42 billion).

That’s a decent …