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Research In Motion pledged to satisfy the security needs of customers and governments, a day after the United Arab Emirates threatened to cut off some BlackBerry services because authorities could not access encrypted messaging data.
In the latest of several disputes over BlackBerry security, the UAE said over the weekend that it would suspend BlackBerry Messenger, email and Web browser services from Oct. 11 until it could access encrypted messages. Get the full story »
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AT&T Inc and Verizon Wireless are planning a partnership to displace credit and debit cards by letting consumers pay with the contactless wave of a smartphone, Bloomberg News reported, citing three people with direct knowledge of the plan.
The new venture may pose a competitive threat to payment networks such as Visa Inc and MasterCard Inc, the report said.
The partnership, which also includes T-Mobile USA, may work with Discover Financial Services and Barclays Plc to test a system at stores in Atlanta and three other U.S. cities, the people told the agency. Get the full story »
Research in Motion Ltd. plans to introduce a tablet computer in November to compete with Apple Inc. iPad, Bloomberg News reported Friday on its website, citing two people familiar with RIM’s plans.
The computer, to be called Blackpad, will include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth wireless technology, allowing users to connect to the Internet through BlackBerry smartphones. It is to be priced in line with the iPad, which starts around $499, one person said. Get the full story »
Two security experts said on Friday they released a tool for attacking smartphones that use Google Inc’s Android operating system to persuade manufacturers to fix a bug that lets hackers read a victim’s email and text messages.
“It wasn’t difficult to build,” said Nicholas Percoco, head of Spider Labs, who along with a colleague, released the tool at the Defcon hacker’s conference in Las Vegas on Friday.
Percoco said it took about two weeks to build the malicious software that could allow criminals to steal precious information from Android smartphones. Get the full story »
Thought your iPhone-toting friends were always buried in their phones? Seems Droid users are even more active Web surfers, according to a report released this week.
The average Verizon Wireless smart-phone owner gobbles up more of the network’s wireless data each month than AT&T customers, according to a survey of 20,000 cell phone bills by Validas. Get the full story »
The $15.6 billion-asset State Farm Bank has introduced a point-and-shoot deposit application for customers with iPhones.
The Bloomington-based bank, which is affiliated with the State Farm Insurance Cos., said its customers can deposit checks into their account from their phones. Get the full story »
Amazon.com launched a cheaper, wireless-only Kindle Wednesday, betting that the $139 price will turn its latest electronic reader into a mass-appeal device as Apple Inc’s iPad gains ground.
The world’s largest online retailer and leading e-reader seller also revealed its third generation Kindle, some 21 percent smaller and 15 percent lighter than the previous version, but still priced at $189.
Amazon does not give sales figures for the Kindle, but said last week that its growth rate tripled after it cut its price on the device from $259 and said e-books were outselling hardcover books. Apple has said it sold more than 3 million iPads, starting at $499, since the product was introduced in April. Get the full story »
Motorola Inc. saw its second-quarter profit jump significantly from last year, with executives sounding increasingly confident about the mobile device devision’s ongoing transformation into a profitable smartphone maker.
The Schaumburg-based company posted net profit of $162 million, or 7 cents per share, for the second quarter, compared with a year-earlier profit of $26 million, or 1 cent per share. The profits were driven mostly by Motorola’s enterprise mobility and networks units, although its mobile phone business showed signs of progress. Get the full story »
Online retail giant Amazon.com plans to introduce two new versions of the Kindle e-reader on Thursday, one for $139, the lowest price yet for the device.
British Sky Broadcasting Group PLC Wednesday confirmed it plans to launch a 3D television channel for consumer subscribers Oct. 1.
BSkyB, the U.K.’s biggest pay-television provider, said customers who pay for its top-tier subscription package and have Sky + high-definition compatible set-top boxes would get the 3D channel free of charge. The company may later allow subscribers on lower-cost packages to obtain the service, a spokesman said. Get the full story »
Fears that Tellabs Inc. may lose some business with top customer AT&T Inc. to a rival sent the company’s shares down nearly 6 percent Tuesday, despite its stronger-than-expected results and outlook.
The communications equipment maker said it was benefiting from a push by phone companies to upgrade wireless networks that support smartphones and other new devices, but cited tough competition among vendors. Get the full story »
The U.S. copyright office issued exemptions to a copyright law, giving legal protection for people who unlock their smartphones like Apple Inc.’s iPhone.
Changing operators’ fixed phone settings — a concept known as “jailbreaking” — has become widely popular around the world since the 2007 introduction of Apple’s iPhone.
The move by the copyright office to give exemptions to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) will undermine handset makers like Apple’s ability to control the installation of software programs on their phones. Get the full story »
From Gizmodo | Readers of the gadget Web site Gizmodo sent in confirmation e-mails to the site’s editors showing that Apple has started shipping its free bumpers — “the bandaid to solve your antenna problems” — to its users.
