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BlackBerry maker RIM in push to tap China market

Research in Motion, maker of BlackBerry smartphone, said it is preparing to launch an applications store and consumer Internet services in China as part of its push into the world’s top mobile market. The upcoming Chinese App World applications store would follow RIM’s May launch of BlackBerry service in China through China Telecom, one of China’s three major carriers. RIM is also developing service for the homegrown third-generation (3G) mobile standard used by leading Chinese carrier China Mobile. Get the full story »

Apple pulls apps over privacy concerns

Apple Inc. removed a host of applications from its popular App Store and acknowledged  that a developer had engaged in fraudulent purchases, a move that raises concerns about an operation seen as the gold standard for mobile application marketplaces.

On Monday, Apple said applications created by Thuat Nguyen had been removed and alleged Nguyen had engaged in “fraudulent purchase patterns.” The move followed complaints by App Store users that their accounts had been accessed to purchase applications made by Nguyen.

Nguyen could not be located for comment. Get the full story »

Apple: iPhone signal formula ‘totally wrong’

Apple Inc. said Friday its formula to calculate signal strength is “totally wrong,” and that it will start using a new formula by AT&T to calculate how many bars to display to represent signal strength.

The announcement comes as customers continue to complain of a significant loss in signal when holding the iPhone G4 in a certain way that seems to interfere with the phone’s antenna. Unlike previous iPhones, the new phone’s antenna is a steel frame that wraps around the device. Get the full story »

Microsoft drops Kin phones after 3 months

Microsoft Corp. has pulled the plug on a new generation of smartphones less than three months after unveiling the devices that were part of its efforts to catch-up with Apple Inc. and Google Inc. in the fast-growing mobile market. Get the full story »

Sprint Nextel says EVO 4G phone in short supply

Sprint Nextel Corp. has been seeing shortages of its EVO high-speed phone from HTC Corp. in some places due to better-than-expected demand, Chief Executive Dan Hesse said Tuesday.

Hesse said he wished he had more  EVOs, which launched  June 4, after his keynote presentation at a Forrester Customer Experience conference. Get the full story »

Motorola’s Droid 2 coming Aug. 23?

From Android and Me | Motorola’s Droid 2 will hit shelves Aug. 23 and will be the first phone to ship with updated Android 2.2 software, according to one source cited by cell phone blog Android and Me.

Samsung smartphone coming to all major carriers

In the shadow of the latest blockbuster Apple Inc.   iPhone launch, Samsung Electronics Co.  has quietly positioned its own marquee smartphone with all of the national carriers in an attempt to regain its position with high-end cellphones.

Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp.  and T-Mobile USA said  Monday that they would be carrying a version of Samsung’s Galaxy S.  AT&T Inc.  previously said it would sell a version of the device  later this year. Of all the carriers, only T-Mobile would commit to a firm launch date of July 21. Get the full story »

Tellabs shares up 8%

Tellabs Inc. shares increased 8 percent in early afternoon trading after losing ground in recent weeks on speculation AT&T would switch to cheaper routers from rival Cicso Systems Inc., causing it to lose business. Get the full story »

Obama gives OK to double broadband spectrum

President Barack Obama on Monday signed a memorandum to nearly double the amount of federal and commercial spectrum available for smartphones and wireless Internet devices.

The move is aimed at spurring investment, economic growth and job creation as demand for broadband surges with the boom in wireless Internet devices such as iPhones, BlackBerrys and laptops. Get the full story »

Apple sells more than 1.7M iPhones in 3 days

Apple Inc. had sold 1.7 million units of the iPhone 4 worldwide by Saturday, June 26, its most successful product launch yet, the company said Monday.

Sales of the touchscreen smartphone, which competes with devices from Nokia, Research In Motion and Motorola, surpassed some analysts’ expectations, as well as those of Apple itself, which has been having trouble keeping up with demand. Get the full story »

Twitter to bolster user privacy in settlement

Microblogging service Twitter has agreed to a settlement with the Federal Trade Commission over charges it put its customers’ privacy at risk by failing to safeguard their personal information.

The settlement announced by the FTC Thursday stems from a series of attacks last year on Twitter, the three-year old phenomenon that lets people send short text messages to groups of followers. Under the agreement, Twitter is creating an independently audited security program, among other measures. Get the full story »

iPhone 4 sells briskly as lines ring stores

Chicago resident Matt Garlock celebrates after purchasing an iPhone 4 today at the Apple Store on Michigan Avenue. (Chris Walker/Chicago Tribune)

Several thousand people in a half-mile-long line waited outside the Apple store on North Michigan Avenue this morning to buy the new iPhone.

Some had waited patiently all night long. Others impatiently all night long. But all felt compelled to be among the first with an iPhone 4.

Get the full story »

T-Mobile boosts network inside Union Station

T-Mobile said it has installed more antennas inside Chicago’s Union Station to provide better service inside and around the building.

The bolstered 3G network launched on Monday. The Bellevue, Wash.-based carrier said commuters at Union Station should notice improved coverage on the mezzanine and concourse levels, including areas such as the terminals, boarding lounges and the food court. Get the full story »

With iPhone 4 excitement comes complaints

From CNN | As iPhone 4 buyers prepared to unbox their new smartphones on Thursday morning, some screamed with joy. Others trumpeted vuvuzelas. But shortly after testing out the world’s new “it” phone, some of those consumers turned to the internet to report problems with the new Apple product.

On Web forums and on blogs, some consumers posted videos and rants about the iPhone 4’s new antenna, which is built into a metal rim around the phone and, some claim, causes the phone to get unnecessarily bad reception.
Get the full story »

Motorola hires HR exec at mobile devices unit

Motorola Inc. has hired a new senior vice president of human resources for its mobile devices and home business, which is scheduled to be separated from the rest of the company in the first quarter of 2011.

Scott Crum will take up his new position on July 19, the company said in a press release. Motorola co-Chief Executive Sanjay Jha, who heads the mobile devices business, has been building his team in advance of the planned split. Last week, the company announced it had hired a corporate vice president of strategy for mobile devices and home. Get the full story »