Motorola will unveil Moto X, its 'designed by you' phone, on August 1

So effortlessly cool (credit: Ina Fried on Twitter) This Moto train is moving fast. Hours after word surfaced that the Moto X phone could launch on Aug. 26 at American carrier U.S. Cellular and a day after the company tweeted a pic of production getting underway in Texas, Motorola sent out invitations to a New York event on Aug. 1. The invite - which...

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Motorola Moto X will go official on August 1 in New York City

After leaving nothing to our imagination thanks to numerous leaks, the Motorola Moto X finally got a release date scheduled. The hotly anticipated smartphone will break cover on August 1st in New York City. The Moto X launch event invite (click to enlarge) Rumored specs of the Motorola Moto X include a 720p display and a 1.7 GHz dual-core Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro...

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Apple and Samsung have reportedly been having settlement talks for months

Apple and Samsung are caught up in a game of Deal or No Deal Apple's and Samsung's bitter patent disputes have been widely covered for the past few years, with the biggest blow in the case coming in Apple's favor last summer. In August 2012, Samsung was ordered to pay Apple $1.05 billion (around £688M, AU$1.14B) million in damages, though that hefty price...

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Vodafone Germany to sell Nokia Lumia 1020 for €30 on contract

Nokia Lumia 1020 will go on sale in Europe this quarter and some retailers are already taking pre-orders. The German campaign started at the hefty €799 price tag, but now the price has fallen down to the slight more reasonable €699. And if you don't feel like paying that much upfront, Vodafone and T-Mobile Germany will be offering the Nokia Lumia 1020 at far lower subsidized...

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Apple seeing double? Budget iPhone could arrive in two flavours

Budget iPhone(s)? A selection of brightly coloured bodies won't be the only option presented to buyers of the fabled 'cheap iPhone' if and when Apple launches said device, according to reports on Friday. Leaked documents, courtesy of Chinese social network Weibo, have sparked talk that Apple is working on two variants of the device with different specs,...

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How Samsung forced INQ out of handsets and into apps

Are apps the answer? You might not remember INQ, but you will be aware of its legacy. It's a company that began in 2008, only created a handful of phones, but brought the notion of tight integration of services to the masses. The INQ1 was a stealth hit for the brand located next to the Thames in Battersea, winning awards for the handset that brought Facebook...

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Galaxy Note II to skip Android 4.2.2 and go straight for 4.3

Australian carrier Telstra has received a confirmation that the Samsung Galaxy Note II 4G model will skip Android 4.2.2 and will be updated straight to the 4.3 Jelly Bean. It doesn't seem to be a regional thing either - all Galaxy Note II units might be treated that way. Here is the official quote from Telstra's support page: Samsung have elected globally to skip the...

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Black and red back of Motorola DROID Ultra MAXX leaks

We saw the Motorola DROID Ultra MAXX for the first time two weeks ago, but back then only its front panel was exposed. We now get to see the other side of the smartphone that will reportedly going to have specs identical to the Motorola DROID Ultra plus a larger battery. The rear side of Motorola DROID Ultra MAXX has a familiar texture. Just like the DROID MAXX, the...

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Has Apple finally found out how to fix Maps?

Hopefully Apple won't be in the public's doghouse for long Ah, Apple's 'maptastrophe'. The less said about it the better. However, at least we know that Cupertino is making strides to improve its mapping service situation, with news that it's has just bagged a significant new weapon. Apple's latest acquisition, Canadian location data startup Locationary,...

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Video: HTC One meets HTC One Mini

HTC One vs HTC One Mini - what's the difference? The HTC One Mini revealed itself to the world this week and while it may look pretty much identical to its big brother, the HTC One, there are some key differences between the two. Some people out there don't really see the point of these "mini" smartphones - especially as they're not exactly small in size...

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From a small Acorn to 37 billion chips: ARM's ascent to tech superpower

The BBC Micro. A British computing legend Every day, you use one - or probably more - of the 37 billion ARM chips produced so far. They're inside your phone, inside your tablet, inside your TV, and inside numerous other devices. But they began life as a second development processor for the rather beige mid-1980s BBC Micro at the Cambridge, UK-based Acorn...

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Smartphone fans are the new religious zealots

Only one can walk out of the arena... Judging from my postbag since I started these columns, smartphones have somehow morphed from a 'thing in your pocket' to 'an entire belief system' - and there are people who seem to be willing to go to any length for their chosen brand. In the last few weeks, I've bemoaned Nokia's strategy and told BlackBerry it's on...

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Samsung I9192 Galaxy S4 mini dual-SIM goes on sale

The Samsung Galaxy S4 mini in its dual-SIM incarnation (I9192) is already on sale from multiple online stores in multiple countries. Amazon US carries the Galaxy S4 mini dual-SIM at $483, but there are only 20 units available at that price and only of the Black Mist color version. If those run out or you prefer White Frost, there are 10 units at $489. Cells4U undercuts...

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SAP places more on mobile analytics app

SAP adds a business intelligence app SAP has pulled a bunch of business intelligence (BI) and analytic applications together a single mobile app for iOS devices. Named SAP BusinessObjects Mobile 5.0, it has been built on the SAP Mobile Platform and enables users to collaborate using the SAP Jam social software platform, insert annotations through voice commands,...

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The HTC One goes Mini while Brits go big

What's less than One but nothing like a zero? It's the HTC One Mini! The HTC One is a cracking bit of kit, but even a five-star phone can't be perfect for everyone. It's too bulky, some say; it's too pricey, say others. If you're inclined to agree, then we've got good news: from next month you'll be able to get all the fun of the One in a smaller, more...

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Google Q2: revenues up, 900M Androids, Moto still struggling

Google, the golden child of the Internet, got some disappointing grades on its report card. The revenues for Q2 of this year are up 19% year on year to $14.1 billion, but come short of analysts' expectations of $14.4 billion. Income was $3.123 billion overall (down from Q1 this year and Q2 last year) with an operating margin of 22% (also down). Google's income for the...

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BBM for Android arriving before September ends

BlackBerry banter comes to Android BlackBerry has been quite open about its long-running messaging service, BBM, coming to Android and iOS this summer, although it has held back on giving us an exact date. But in an interview with IBN Live, BlackBerry India's managing director, Sunil Lalvani, might have given us a date for the diary. Or a slightly less vague...

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