News

• Proposed law would make reprogramming cellphone IDs a crime

  Reprogramming the identification number of a cellphone could be punishable with a prison sentence of up to five years under the terms of a proposed law announced Friday.

• iPhone 6 rumour rollup for the week ending May 24

  One of the iOSphere's enduring myths is that one or another component or production screwup has repeatedly delayed most iPhones, including the iPhone 5S or 6 or whatever.

• Facebook delays Home in Europe, wants a stronger 'First' impression

  Users in the U.K. and France will have to wait a bit longer to get their hands on the HTC First. The first smartphone to come preinstalled with Facebook Home has been delayed in those countries while Facebook updates the software to address some negative user feedback.

• T-Mobile spurns Google Wallet, in a decidedly 'un-un-carrier' decision

  Mobile payment is kind of like a slightly more realistic version of the flying car – a technology we've been hearing about seemingly forever that never really takes off. OK, so the analogy isn't perfect, given that a few companies are actually using things like Square and McDonald's has those tap pads for NFC payment, but given how long we've been hearing about it, you'd think it would be just a little more common by now.

• Electricity's in the air: Powermat ties the knot with PowerKiss

  Two leading wireless power companies, Powermat and PowerKiss, have announced that they have entered into a definitive agreement to merge.

• Samsung sells over 10 million Galaxy S4 smartphones in first month

  Samsung Electronics has reported global channel sales of over 10 million units of the Galaxy S4 in less than a month after its global launch.

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  Verizon, Jennifer Lopez partner on Latino-focused wireless stores

  Verizon Wireless is partnering with singer and actress Jennifer Lopez in creating a USretail distribution company that will offer Verizon's devices in stores and online destinations designed to appeal to Latino consumers.

• Would you pay $US30 for a waterproof Android smartphone?

  If you've ever dropped, broken or drowned your mobile phone, Kyocera Wireless has a deal for you: two new waterproofed Android phones, one of them ruggedized, aimed at first-time smartphone buyers looking for affordable handsets. The products were announced for the U.S market at this week's CTIA cellular industry conference in Las Vegas.

• Google Drive updates Android UI, adds document scanning

  Google's Drive cloud storage service has been retooled for Android users and is now capable of capturing a document by converting a photo of it to text.<

• Unity adds free mobile game development for Android and iOS

  Unity Technologies has added the ability to develop for Android and iOS games for free using its platform.

• OpenGL developer to create API for controlling smartphone cameras

  The Khronos Group has announced plans to create an open and royalty-free application programming interface for controlling mobile and embedded cameras and sensors, giving developers access to features such as burst modes and flash.

• The iPhone's big lead in customer satisfaction is gone

  Apple's dominance in smartphone customer satisfaction faded last year, with rivals like Samsung and Motorola dramatically closing the gap, a national survey said today.

• Smartphones take center stage in two-factor authentication schemes

  We all know that relying on a simple user ID and password combination is fraught with peril. One alternative is to use one of the single sign-on solutions we reviewed last year, but there are less expensive options that could also be easier to install.

• Jolla announces first Sailfish-based smartphone

  Finnish startup Jolla has announced its first smartphone, which shows off its Sailfish OS on a 4.5-inch screen.

• Canadian Tire forgoes BYOD, issues BlackBerries to workers

  Canadian Tire began issuing thousands of BlackBerry Q10 smartphones to corporate employees in Toronto after rolling out Z10 models weeks earlier.