| News for wireless telecommunications professionals |  |
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- Facebook working on app to track mobile users
Facebook is developing a location-based application that would track mobile users as a way to help them find their friends -- even when the Facebook app is closed, according to a Bloomberg report, which says the social networker has a targeted launch date of mid-March. Another report asserts that Facebook issued -- and quickly rescinded -- a similar app called "Find Friends Nearby" in June 2012. Separately, Facebook announced that as part of an agreement with the Better Business Bureau, it will become more forthcoming about its targeted advertising efforts. Bloomberg
(2/5), ReadWrite
(2/4), The Verge
(2/5)      
- AT&T rebrands U-verse mobile TV service, adds mini-packages
AT&T has changed the name of its wireless video service from AT&T U-Verse Live TV to Mobile TV, saying in a blog post that it has also improved the picture quality of the $10 monthly service, introduced $5 add-on programming packages and made it available on most of its smartphones via 3G, 4G and Wi-Fi networks. Subscribers can view a number of live TV channels by downloading a streaming and on-demand TV application. TheNextWeb.com
(2/4)
- Nokia may make Windows tablets, CEO says
A tablet computer running on Windows may be in the Nokia product portfolio in the near future, CEO Stephen Elop hints to reporters in Australia. He says, "We haven't announced tablets at this point, but ... We are studying very closely the market right now as Microsoft has introduced the Surface tablet, so we are trying to learn from that and understand what the right way to participate would be and at what point in time." Australian Financial Review
(2/5), Marketnews Magazine (Toronto)
(2/4)
 | Telematics Detroit 2013 Conference & Exhibition
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| Wireless World | | |
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- Microsoft, Huawei will bring low-cost Windows phones to Africa
Microsoft and China's Huawei Technologies will join forces to sell an inexpensive Windows smartphone in the fast-growing African market. The venture will first deliver the $150 Huawei 4Afrika Windows Phone to seven countries, but more handsets will become available in the coming months. "Microsoft is a small player in smartphones and it needs as many partners as it can get. And Africa is one of Huawei's strongest markets outside of China," said Pete Cunningham, an analyst at the Canalys research firm. The New York Times (tiered subscription model)
(2/4)
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- Engineers devise system to expand battery life for phones
Researchers at Virginia's Old Dominion University say they have invented a method to keep a mobile device's batteries running longer by deploying the microphone to reduce the power consumption of Wi-Fi parts, which are major energy drains. The engineers have substituted a much more power-efficient audio signal to check whether data needs to be downloaded. V3.co.uk (U.K.)/The Frontline blog
(2/4)
- Emulator puts Windows apps in reach of Android users
Android users will be able to run Windows applications through the Wine emulator, which had previously been limited to Unix-based systems, project leader Alexandre Julliard disclosed at a technology conference this week. While running Windows apps on Android-based smartphones may not be practical, the Wine emulator could be useful on tablets and other Android-powered devices, it was said. Ars Technica
(2/4)
| Trends & Research | | |
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- Study finds few aware of digital payment options
U.S. consumers are behind the curve when it comes to understanding options when it comes to employing mobile and other forms of digital payments, according to a comScore survey. ComScore found only 12% of those polled have employed any such applications, including those from Google, MasterCard or Square Wallet. "Digital wallets represent an innovative technology that has not yet reached critical mass among consumers due to a variety of factors, including low awareness and a muddied understanding of their benefits," said Andrea Jacobs of comScore. CNET/Internet & Media blog
(2/4)
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