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- Chrome leader Pichai will take Android reins from Rubin
Google named Sundar Pichai, the head of its Chrome browser and operating system unit, to lead the company's Android division following the resignation of Andy Rubin in what CEO Larry Page insisted was a voluntary move. Rubin will take on a new, undisclosed role at Google, Page said, adding that Google will unite the two divisions under a single roof. "Basically, Rubin's job is done. The platform is successful and now it's about the ecosystem and finding a better way to monetize," said Gartner analyst Carolina Milanesi. The Wall Street Journal
(3/13), Network World/IDG News Service
(3/13)      
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- BlackBerry boon: Client orders 1 million smartphones
BlackBerry landed the largest order in the company's history when an unnamed "established partner" bought 1 million phones powered by the new BlackBerry 10 operating system, although it was not disclosed whether the client ordered the Z10 or the Q10 handsets, or both. In another boost for BlackBerry, Verizon Wireless said that it would begin selling the Z10 on March 28 for $200 with exclusive rights to a white model to go along with the black handset that other carriers received. Bloomberg Businessweek
(3/14), PC Magazine
(3/13), Reuters
(3/13)
- Apple's Schiller attacks Android ahead of Samsung event
Apple went on the offensive against its Android rival on Wednesday when marketing chief Phil Schiller offered a rare interview in which he termed the open-source operating system inferior to Apple's iOS platform. Schiller offered research that purports to show that most Android users who switched handsets in the fourth quarter landed on an iPhone. He also referred to Android's fragmented distribution. "With their own data, only 16% of Android users are on year-old version of the operating system. Over 50% are still on software that is two years old. A really big difference," Schiller said. The Wall Street Journal
(3/14), Reuters
(3/13)
- Sprint, ex-FCC commissioner clash on worth of Clearwire bid
Sprint released a third-party study on Wednesday that pegged its $2.97-a-share offer for Clearwire favorable since it equates to 21 cents per MHz point of presence for the 2.5 GHz spectrum, which is higher than its valuation of 14 cents per MHz POP. In contrast on Tuesday, Clearwire shareholder Crest Financial issued findings that valued Sprint's offer at 11 cents per POP for the WiMAX spectrum, according to a study from former Federal Communications Commission member Harold Furchtgott-Roth and the Analysis Group. Wireless Week
(3/13), Wireless Week
(3/12)
- HTC wins Verizon order but faces shipping delay for One
HTC faced a good news-bad news scenario on Wednesday: Verizon Wireless will reportedly carry its new flagship One smartphone, but the Taiwanese vendor has pushed back shipments to the three other major U.S. carriers by a month to April. The adjusted ship date means HTC will not get an opportunity to sell the One ahead of the expected introduction of Samsung Electronics' Galaxy S IV. All Things D
(3/13), Computerworld/IDG News Service
(3/13)
| Mobile Marketing | | |
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- PayPal acquires mobile app developer Duff Research
EBay-owned PayPal sought to beef up its wireless payment platform by acquiring mobile application developer Duff Research as it competes with rivals such as Square, the company said Wednesday. "Last year, we began developing all of our products with a mobile-first mentality to drive engaging, simple customer experiences," PayPal Chief Technology Officer James Barrese wrote in a blog post. TechCrunch
(3/13), Reuters
(3/13)
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- LG upgrade will let eyes control Optimus Pro G video player
LG Electronics will update its Optimus G Pro smartphone next month by introducing eye-recognition software, making the announcement one day before rival Samsung Electronics details its Galaxy S IV, which is expected to feature similar software. Yet-to-be-named U.S. carriers are expected to get the upgrade in the second quarter. LG said that its Smart Video feature will exploit the front-facing camera to track users' eyes and allow them to control the phone's video player. Another new feature includes the ability to take a picture using the front and rear camera at the same time. All Things D
(3/13)
- Report: Twitter readies music-sharing app for iOS devices
Twitter reportedly will introduce a personalized iOS-based mobile music application within the next month that will recommend songs to stream based on what a user is following on Twitter, as well as other signals, according to published reports. Twitter Music, which also will let members share songs, will leverage discovery technology the company bought when it acquired We are Hunted in 2012. Bloomberg
(3/14), CNET
(3/13)
| CTIA News | | |
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- Spectrum: International Harmonization Status Report released
Last week, CTIA and the Wireless Broadband Coalition released a report on the allocation of 1755-1780 MHz and 2155-2180 MHz spectrum (PDF), which showed a number of countries have or are in the process of allocating this internationally-harmonized spectrum for commercial purposes. If the U.S. would follow the numerous international governments that have allocated these bands, wireless companies and users would benefit from the economies of scale, ranging from being able to shorten deployment time and cost of new wireless devices and networks to being able to use these mobile devices in more countries. Currently occupied by the U.S. government, these bands of spectrum are already being used for commercial purposes by 43 countries and 17 of the G-20 countries have allocated the bands for commercial use. The three countries that have not are the U.S., Canada and Argentina. The report used only government sourced data from 186 countries.
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