Mobile

iPad still a destination for fun and games, study finds

Apple's iPad can do an awful lot. But most iPad owners would prefer to stick to Web surfing and entertainment, according to a new study.

Research firm Consumer Intelligence Research Partners today released the results of a study it conducted of more than 1,000 iPad buyers between December 2011 and April 2012. CIRP asked those recent buyers what they're most likely to do with their slate and found that 40 percent of respondents indicated they surf the Web on the iPad, leading all possible activities.

Watching video, looking at photos, or listening to music, lumped together as &… Read more

HTC prepping Android 4.1 update for One XL and One S

Users of HTC's One XL and One S phones are on the Android 4.1 update list, at least in Australia.

An update page posted by Australian mobile carrier Telstra points to an Android 4.1 'Jelly Bean' update in progress for both phones. The carrier says that HTC is preparing the update but has yet to confirm a date in which it will be sent to Telstra for testing.

No further beans were spilled as to a possible release date or availability for other HTC devices or other carriers around the world. But the handset maker has revealed … Read more

Nokia is listing heavily -- but it's not done yet

Nokia, the once-proud Finnish mobile phone giant, is still sinking.

In its second-quarter earnings report, the company posted a net loss of $1.74 billion, with overall sales down 26 percent year over year. Smartphone sales were down by a third in the quarter.

There are two rays of sunshine amid the dark skies over Espoo. Nokia's cash position is better than analysts expected, and its partnership with Microsoft to use the Windows Phone operating system for its devices is still a going concern. In fact, Nokia shipped four million Lumia smartphones, more than double the number it moved … Read more

Apple iPhone 5 vs. Android 4G duel set up at Verizon

Verizon continues to sell more Droid devices than Apple iPhones largely due to 4G LTE capability. The Apple-Android duel will be become a lot more interesting when the iPhone 5 launches with LTE. 

The iPhone 5 is still a few months away, but analysts are already upbeat. Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster argued in a research note that 80 million iPhone 5 units are in the bag. Munster said:

Verizon: Feedback on 'Share Everything' has been great

Verizon Chief Financial Officer Fran Shammo said the response to the carrier's shared data plan has been positive, despite the wave of criticism that has erupted over the new policy.

"Early feedback has been great," he said during an investor conference call today. "The customer adoption has been tracking with expectations."

The company last month launched its "Share Everything" plan to a bit of controversy, exacerbated by the carrier's decision to kill off unlimited data for anyone who upgraded their phone. Verizon took fire over the plan's complicated cost structure and … Read more

iPad prototype had bigger screen, was a full inch thick

The Apple world was abuzz yesterday after Network World published photos purporting to show an early iPad prototype. Now, new images have leaked providing some more details on that device.

BuzzFeed has published what it claims are photos showing comparisons between the so-called 035 iPad prototype and the iPad 2. The publication didn't say where it discovered the photos, but it's possible that they came from court documents filed in a legal fight between Apple and Samsung. The original photos published by Network World also came by way of court filings.

Whatever their provenance, the images show a … Read more

Nokia promises 'something amazing' on Sept. 7

Photos snapped outside Nokia's currently-closed Helsinki store proclaim that "something amazing" will happen on Sept. 7. The message seems to indicate that the store itself will reopen for business on that date. But the implication is that Nokia will unveil something much bigger.

Other images posted by blogging site My Nokia Blog tell customers to "prepare to be amazed at all the new things in your Nokia store." The company is also inviting people to visit the Web site NokiaGraffiti.me next week to discover more. The site is currently unavailable.

The timing of this … Read more

Verizon drops a hint on a possible Q4 iPhone 5 launch

Apple's next iteration of the iPhone could drop in the fourth quarter.

That's according to Verizon CFO Fran Shammo, who hinted at the possible timing during the company's quarterly conference call today with a vague reference to a major phone the carrier expects to launch