HTC recently made the tools that allow users to unlock their device’s bootloader available to more smartphones via its developer web side. The new handsets include the Desire HD, Wildfire, Desire Z, T-Mobile G2, Aria, ChaCha, and Status. HTC has already made the same tools available for most of its Android smartphones released since September 2011. Once unlocked, owners will have more freedom to install custom software on their Android smartphones. Tweet Vote on HN ...
Samsung to partner up with Olympus?
A Samsung source has said that the company is open to the possibility of an alliance with rival manufacturer Olympus.Although Samsung has previously declared it isn’t interesting in buying up the Olympus camera business, it is considering a partnership with the company in other areas.Olympus is currently considering an equity tie-up with five candidate companies which include Sony and Panasonic, according to the Asahi Shimbun newspaper.Recently, times have been troubled for Olympus, which has been rocked by scandal over the past few weeks. Starting with the dismissal of its CEO ...
LG licenses Microsoft
Microsoft has once again flexed its Intellectual Property muscle, having signed a new patent licensing agreement for LG that covers the Korean manufacturer’s Android smartphones and tablets as well as its Chrome OS based devices.Microsoft has signed many such deals over the past year, including an agreement with Samsung in September 2011, and, after signing a deal with Compal in October, announced that it receives royalties from over 53 percent of the Android devices sold in the ...
LG looking for partners to bolster its mobile phone business
According to a Reuters report, LG is actively seeking partners to help bolster its mobile phone unit, which has been struggling for the past year and a half. LG Mobile CEO Park Jong-seok said that “we’re looking into almost every alliance that the mobile industry can think of” in an interview. LG announced a renewed partnership with fashion house Prada just last month. LG’s mobile unit has lost nearly $1 billion dollars in the past 6 reporting quarters. Tweet Vote on ...
Samsung Galaxy Tab 7.7 4G
The Galaxy Tab 7.7 was originally announced at the IFA trade show back in September, and features, as the name implies, a 7.7-inch Super AMOLED Plus color WXGA touchscreen display. The display gave text great sharpness and rich browsing when we tested it out on the CES show floor. Under its hood is a zippy 1.4GHz, dual-core processor that runs Google’s Android 3.2 Honeycomb operating system. Samsung’s TouchWiz interface sits atop that, with its custom mini applets that can be launched from the bottom edge of the display – as you’ll see in the video, below.The Tab 7.7 ...
ZTE Scores U.S. Distribution Deal with PCS Wireless
PCS Wireless and ZTE today announced that PCS Wireless will distribute ZTE’s phones and other devices to regional U.S. network operators. The deal with give smaller network operators better access to customized handsets and services from ZTE, including custom flash screens to retail packaging. Tweet Vote on HN ...
Motorola Adding Chrome Support to Next-Gen Webtop
Motorola is working on a next-generation version of its Webtop mobile application that will add support for Google’s Chrome browser. In an interview with The Verge, Motorola CEO Sanjay Jha said, “What we call the next generation of Webtop will have more capabilities,” adding that the switch to Android 4.0 will lead to a smoother user experience. Webtop allows Motorola phones to connect to a lapdock device and use a full browser and Android applications on the larger screen. The first generation supports Mozilla’s Firefox browser instead of Chrome. Jha also revealed ...
Sony Xperia S smartphone coming to O2 UK
O2 has announced that it will soon offer Sony’s new flagship smartphone, the Xperia S, to its customers. The Xperia S is an Android smartphone that offers a massive 4.3-inch color HD touchscreen display and a 1.5GHz dual-core processor. Other features include a 12MP rear facing camera for video and pictures as well as a 1.3MP user facing camera for video chats. The Xperia S also offers a micro-HDMI port and NFC capabilities. No word yet on exact launch date or pricing from the carrier. ...
Nokia Lumia 710 now available from T-Mobile for $49.99
The Nokia Lumia 710, the company’s first Windows Phone smartphone to come to the U.S., is now available for purchase from T-Mobile Tweet Vote on HN ...
LG Viper for Sprint
Sprint showed off one of its first LTE 4G smartphones at CES, the LG Viper. We took a quick look at it and here are our thoughts. Tweet Vote on HN ...