Author: Dan Graziano

A variety of benchmark test results last month revealed that NVIDIA’s (NVDA) next-generation mobile processor will be hard to beat. The Tegra 4 processor displayed vast improvements over older Tegra 3 models and in some cases resulted in scores that nearly quadrupled the performance of older devices. According to a new report, NVIDIA’s latest processor is even faster than Qualcomm’s (QCOM) flagship Snapdragon 800 CPU.

Continue reading…

During its press conference in February, HTC (2498) failed to announce a release date for the HTC One. It was previously rumored that the company’s flagship smartphone would launch on March 15th, however a new report claims the phone’s release has been delayed until later this month. According to phone retailer Clove, the HTC One has been “officially” delayed in the United Kingdom until March 29th. An HTC spokesperson confirmed to BGR that the company “will start fulfilling pre-orders by end March in certain markets and will roll out to more markets as we approach April.” HTC’s new flagship smartphone is equipped with a 4.7-inch full HD display, a 1.7GHz quad-core Snapdragon processor and a new “Ultrapixel” rear camera. BGR’s full review of the HTC One will be published in the coming days.

BlackBerry (BBRY) fans were upset to hear that Sprint (S) decided to pass on the company’s flagship smartphone. The carrier confirmed that it would not offer the BlackBerry Z10 and instead would only carry the QWERTY keyboard equipped BlackBerry Q10 later this year. According to a report from AllThingsD, however, Sprint will launch a different all-touch BlackBerry smartphone sometime in the second half of 2013. The device is described as a “follow-on handset” to the Z10 and not just a slightly modified version of the smartphone that is being offered by AT&T (T), Verizon (VZ) and T-Mobile.

You can’t go five minutes without seeing an advertisement for the fastest, largest, cheapest or most reliable network in the United States. Mobile service providers keep pushing their own brands of 4G wireless services to entice consumers, however it is becoming increasingly difficult to decide between Verizon (VZ), AT&T (T), Sprint (S), T-Mobile and the assorted number of smaller carriers. Besides price and coverage, which are both important aspects consumers should consider, data speeds should play a major role in carrier choice especially when signing a lengthy two-year service agreement. With all the advertising hoopla going on, however, it can be hard to get the facts. To make things a little easier, research firm RootMetrics recently tested the four major carriers to find out which one operates the fastest network in the America.

Continue reading…

A new report suggests that Apple’s (AAPL) next-generation iPhone may include near-field communication (NFC) technology and even a fingerprint sensor. According to The China Times, Taiwanese firm Chipbond will provide touch display drivers and chips that support both technologies in the iPhone 5S. Apple is reportedly planning to use the fingerprint sensor in the iPhone 5S to deliver enhanced security to such as contactless mobile payments. The technology comes from Authentec, a company Apple acquired last July for $356 million. The iPhone 5S is expected to launch in August and is rumored to be equipped with a faster A7 processor and better cameras.

Earlier this year, Lenovo (LNVGY) CFO Wong Wai Ming casually mentioned a potential buyout of BlackBerry as a way to boost the company’s mobile business. The executive explained that Lenovo had been in talks with the struggling phone maker and its bankers “about various combinations or strategic ventures,” and that Lenovo even had “a team working on possible acquisitions.” Ming’s comments spread across the Web and within days the company was forced to clarify that Wong was merely speaking broadly on the subject. Even before the comments, however, analysts and Wall Street investors believed Lenovo could be a good suitor for BlackBerry (BBRY). This time around when speaking about a potential acquisition, Lenovo’s chief executive made sure to choose his words wisely.

Continue reading…

It has been suggested that Amazon (AMZN) will enter the smartphone market this year with a new Kindle phone. The company has long been rumored to be developing a smartphone that will run a heavily customized version of Android, similar to its Kindle Fire tablets. Earlier rumors indicated that Amazon was planning to release the device in the second quarter of 2013, however manufacturing hiccups have reportedly caused the smartphone to be delayed until later this year. According to Digitimes, issues relating to the device’s mobile platform will see Amazon miss its original June timeframe for the launch. When the smartphone is finally announced, it is expected to cost between $100 and $249, and could even be bundled with six months of 4G LTE data.

Google (GOOG) is believed to be working on a high-end smartphone with Motorola, codenamed X Phone, that is expected debut this May. Initial reports claimed the handset would include a top-notch camera, a flexible display and revolutionary software features, however most specs have remained a mystery. According to a report from Android World, the flagship smartphone will be equipped with a 4.7-inch full HD display, a quad-core Tegra 4i processor and a 16-megapixel camera. The device will also reportedly include the latest version of Android, rumored to be called Key Lime Pie, and a 5-megapixel front-facing camera with eye scrolling technology. Purported dimensions are said to be 131.2 x 66.7 x 7.9 mm, making the device slightly thinner than the DROID RAZR MAXX HD.

The issue of unlocking cell phones has been receiving a lot of press lately. Despite some recent objections from the White House, under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act it is still illegal to unlock a cell phone without prior consent from a wireless carrier. And on Friday, AT&T (T) went on record and reaffirmed its commitment to unlocking smartphones if certain requirements are met.

Continue reading…

Microsoft’s (MSFT) manufacturing partners felt betrayed after the company announced its Surface tablet, a milestone that marked the first time the software giant produced its own hardware. Since then, analysts and other Windows Phone vendors have speculated that Microsoft may release a Surface smartphone at some point in the future. And now we’ve learned that even one of the company’s most loyal partners fears for the worst: In a recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Nokia (NOK) voiced its concerns about the possibility of a Surface smartphone.

Continue reading…

A large part of why BlackBerry (BBRY) has survived over the past two years is because of the success it has achieved in emerging markets such as India and Indonesia. Chief executive Thorsten Heins confirmed that the company is readying less expensive devices for those markets and will look to continue to build its market share, however it has no plans of competing with any bargain-bin Asian rivals.

Continue reading…

Earlier reports have suggested that Samsung’s (005930) upcoming Galaxy S IV smartphone may support futuristic non-touch gesture technology. SamMobile, which has provided us with accurate Samsung-related rumors in the past, confirmed on Friday that the company will indeed be using the technology in its latest flagship device. It also claims that Samsung will be using a new kind of AMOLED display, called “green PHOLED,” that will be 25% more efficient than older Super AMOLED technologies and will help the Galaxy S IV deliver better battery life despite the use of a full HD resolution.

Continue reading…

Rovio has made one its classic mobile games available on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch available for free by slashing the prices of Angry Birds and Angry Birds HD to nothing for iOS users in both the United States and United Kingdom. It is unclear if this is a permanent move or just a limited-time offer, however Rovio also removed the free demo versions of the apps, which were limited to only a few levels. Since debuting in 2009, the Angry Birds franchise has found great success and the games have been downloaded more than 1 billion times.