UK faces BlackBerry outage again

UK faces BlackBerry outage again

BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion (RIM) has issued a statement apologising for yet another service outage across the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

RIM said: “We are currently experiencing a BlackBerry service issue affecting some users in Europe, Middle East & Africa. All relevant support teams are working to resolve the issue. We apologise to any customers who may be affected.”

The ailing smartphone company has had a number of high profile outages and is facing commercial pressure from Apple and Android smartphones that are capable of providing "good-enough" email security for all but the most security-conscious IT environments.

In October 2011, users experienced the largest outage in the history of the BlackBerry service. The three-day outage affected major businesses and government departments that rely on RIM's enterprise messaging service to deliver mobile email.

This latest services distribution could put into question whether businesses should rely on BlackBerry smartphones, due to the single point of failure within RIM's network and IT infrastructure.

In the past, users relied on the BlackBerry service – which has proven to be highly resilient – due to the high-level of security offered through the BlackBerry Enterprise Server. The service was certified by the CESG, the UK Government's National Technical Authority for Information Assurance, for restricted data access within the government. But Apple and Android are working towards certification and these outages increase the pressure on RIM.

Apple to drop YouTube app from iPhone

Apple to drop YouTube app from iPhone

Apple has confirmed that the latest version of its iOS mobile operating system will not include an app for accessing Google's YouTube video service by default.

The move represents another step away from Google, after Apple previously announced that Google Maps will be replaced with Apple's own application using mapping technology from Dutch satnav partner TomTom in iOS6, which is due out later this year.

Apple said in a statement: "Our licence to include the YouTube app in iOS has ended. Customers can use YouTube in the Safari browser and Google is working on a new YouTube app to be on the App Store."

This means YouTube fans will need to download the app as they would for every other service they want access to on their phone.

YouTube said: “We are working with Apple to ensure we have the best possible YouTube experience for iOS users.”

Since Google's Android operating system emerged as a strong rival to iOS, Apple has been seeking to reduce the iPhone's links with its former partner.

With Google Maps and YouTube gone, speculation is now mounting that Apple will remove Google as the default search button on the iPhone's Safari browser, according to the Guardian.

Apple has already dropped Google in China for local firm Baidu, and news of a change elsewhere could come when Apple is expected to unveil the latest iPhone in September, the paper said.

Apple's deal with Facebook to integrate the social network into iPhones and iPads is also being regarded by some analysts as another challenge to Google, according to theTelegraph.

Nokia fuels hopes of phone launch ahead of Apple:

Nokia  said on Wednesday it will hold a joint media event with Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) in New York on September 5, boosting hopes that it will unveil its long-awaited Windows smartphone upgrade before rival Apple Inc (AAPL.O) rolls out its next iPhone.

The Finnish company gave no details about the September event, but Nokia CEO Stephen Elop said earlier on Wednesday the company would unveil soon a new smartphone using Microsoft's latest smartphone software known as Windows Phone 8.

The joint event with Microsoft will occur a week before Apple is expected to unveil its own hotly anticipated iPhone 5.

Nokia has been fighting for survival after ceding vast ground to rivals Apple and Samsung Electronics Co Ltd (005930.KS) in recent years. In 2011 it forged a software alliance with Elop's former employer, Microsoft, which also fell behind in smartphone software.

Both Nokia and Microsoft are pinning their hopes on the next Windows-based phone to challenge Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy smartphone.

Nokia has not commented on specific plans for its Nokia World trade show event in Helsinki on September 5 and 6.

Elop did not deny a September launch when he spoke to reporters earlier on Wednesday. He said only that Windows Phone 8 smartphones would be released in the "relatively near term."

Nokia shares, which have been trading near all-time lows, rose sharply in Helsinki after Elop's comments and gained 3.4 percent to close at 2.0760 euros in Helsinki on Wednesday. Its U.S. shares closed up 6 percent at $2.64 on the New York Stock Exchange.

Also on Wednesday, Standard & Poor's downgraded Nokia's credit rating to BB- with a "negative" outlook.

Elop, who was brought in from Microsoft two years ago to lead Nokia's fight against Apple and Samsung, said he was sticking to his strategy of using Microsoft software despite the limited success of Windows phones so far.

Nokia decided in early 2011 to ditch its home-grown Symbian software in favor of software from Microsoft.

"I don't think about rewinding the clock and thinking about competing elsewhere," he told reporters in Oslo.

"In today's war ... (between) Android, Apple and Windows, we are very clear, we are fighting that with the Windows phone," said Elop, who was in Oslo for a meeting with Telenor ASA (TEL.OL) Chief Executive Jon Fredrik Baksaas.

Nokia lost 1.53 billion euros in the second quarter and sold just 4 million Windows phones in the period, well short of Apple's sales of 26 million iPhones and Samsung's 50 million smartphones.

Nokia shrugged off S&P's downgrade, saying it had sufficient liquidity and was saving money. S&P cut Nokia's rating in April to BB+ -- junk status -- meaning conservative investors like pension funds will consider it too risky to hold.

Samsung Galaxy S III: 10 Million Sold

Samsung Galaxy S III: 10 Million Sold


Samsung reached its 10 million unit sales goal for the Galaxy S III smartphone more than a week early, an executive says.

Samsung predicted that it would sell 10 million Galaxy S III smartphones by the end of July, and it appears that it has already met this goal. Speaking to the Yonhap News Agency, Samsung's mobile chief J.K. Shin said, "It appears that (accumulated sales) has exceeded 10 million units."


What's not clear is if Shin meant sales to end users or shipments to retailers.


The Galaxy S III went on sale across Europe in late May. It reached some U.S. carriers in late June and others in early July. None of the individual carriers has offered any information about sales of the device. In the United States, some wireless network operators are prone to making grandiose 


announcements when devices have a particularly strong opening weekend. So far, there have been no such announcements.


Though the distinction between devices shipped versus devices sold is an important one, even if Samsung has only shipped 10 million devices, it won't be long before they are sold. In 2010, Samsung sold 20 million Galaxy S smartphones, and in 2011, it sold 30 million Galaxy S II smartphones. 


Surely the Galaxy S III will surpass both phones by a significant margin.

The Galaxy S III is one of the strongest devices to reach the market this year. Not only does it boast one of the most impressive spec sheets, its performance is unrivaled when compared to other Android smartphone the market.

In the U.S., the device is available from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile USA, U.S. Cellular, and Verizon Wireless. The GS3 comes in white, blue, and red (AT&T exclusive), and costs $199 for the 16-GB version and $249 for the 32-GB version.

The GS3's main competition, the Apple iPhone 4S, is nearly 10 months old. It is also sold for $199 for the 16-GB model, but the 32-GB iPhone 4S costs $299, giving Samsung a bit of a price advantage for the higher capacity version.

Beyond the pricing, the GS3's 4.8-inch Super AMOLED display is significantly larger than the iPhone 4S's 3.5-inch display. Apple is expected to increase the size of the iPhone's display with the next-generation model, but reports point to a modest increase, to just 4 inches across the diagonal.

However, the GS3 will have about a four-month lead on the iPhone 5 by the time it reaches the market. Apple is due to report its second-quarter earnings this week, and expectations for the iPhone are dampened as analysts see slackening demand ahead of the iPhone 5's arrival.

Google Android OS Trojan virus hits 100K devices in China

Trojan malware has hit 100,000 devices using the Google Android operating system (OS) in China, say security researchers.

The Trojan, dubbed MMarketPay.A, is designed to purchase apps and content without the consent of the device user, running up high mobile bills.

Researchers from security firm TrustGo said 10 China-based Android marketplaces have so far been infected with the Trojan, which can be hidden in applications which appear legitimate.

Code analysis reveals the MMarketPay.A Trojan can bypass SMS and CAPTCHA-based verification techniques used by some Android app market places.

The main source of Android-specific malware is the cloning, repackaging and modification of popular apps with intentionally malicious code, the TrustGo researchers said.

“The ease and speed that malicious apps can be developed and distributed to unsuspecting users is one of the fastest growing security concerns,” said Xuyang Li, CEO of TrustGo.

The security firm advises uses of Android devices to download and install a mobile security app with real-time scanning capability before downloading or updating popular apps.

According to TrustGo, most mobile malware is currently found in applications that originate from and attack third-party markets in China and Russia.

However, security industry representatives say there has been a marked increase in Android malware around the world as the Google OS has grown in popularity.

As recently as last week, researchers reported evidence that Google Android OS smartphones are being hijacked by a botnet that sends spam to contacts stolen from targeted mobile devices.

"Android is where the action is," said Cesare Garlati, vice-president of mobile security at security firm Trend Micro.

Android will be the most exploited mobile platform in 2012, he told attendees of a regional interest group meeting of the European association for e-identity and security in Slough.

Although the latest version of Android has introduced improved security, such as enabling encryption, there is still no firewall capability and 90% Google Play downloads are to devices running earlier, less secure versions of Android, Cesare Garlati said.

Toshiba to make quad-core Android 4.0 tablets...

Toshiba to make quad-core Android 4.0 tablets in 7, 10, and 13 inch sizes :-

Toshiba is launching a new line of tablets running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich in May and June, the company announced Tuesday. The "Excite" tablet family will come in 7.7-inch, 10-inch, and 13-inch sizes, and all will have Tegra 3 quad-core processors.

The WiFi-only Excite tablets will all have 1GB of RAM, 5-megapixel rear cameras, and 2-megapixel front-facing cameras. The 0.4-inch thick, 2.2-pound Excite 13 will have a 1600x900 resolution display and 13 hours of battery life. The smaller 0.35-inch thick, 1.32-pound Excite 10 will have a 12800x800 screen and get 10 hours of battery life. The two larger tablets will both have SD card slots, while the smallest will have a micro SD slot.

Microsoft signs two patent licensing deals...

Microsoft signs two patent licensing deals covering Android, Chrome...

Microsoft said that two more companies had signed patent agreements covering their Android and Chrome devices, under the company's IP (intellectual property) licensing program that already has more than 1,100 licensing agreements.

The software giant said it would receive royalties from the two deals but did not provide details.

The agreement with Coby Electronics, a maker of Internet TVs, tablets, and other consumer electronics, provides broad coverage under Microsoft's patent portfolio for Coby's products running the Android or Chrome platform, while the patent agreement with Aluratek provides coverage under Microsoft's patent portfolio for Aluratek's e-readers and tablets running the Android or Chrome platform.

Microsoft said the program launched in December 2003 was developed to open access to Microsoft's research and development investments and its patent and IP portfolio, though some critics claim Microsoft views it as a revenue stream. A number of companies including Samsung have signed up for Microsoft's Android licensing program, but Motorola Mobility, now owned by Google, has not signed.

Microsoft claims Android infringes some of its patents, hence the requirement for these licensing agreements.

One holdout, Barnes & Noble settled patent litigation with Microsoft over its Android-based Nook e-reader in April as part of a broader alliance with Microsoft. Barnes & Noble and a new subsidiary set up with Microsoft under the terms of the alliance will pay Microsoft royalties for its Nook and table products.

Motorola and Microsoft have legal disputes in a number of countries, including one over patent infringement by the Xbox before the U.S. International Trade Commission. A court in Munich ruled in May that Motorola infringes on a Microsoft patent relating to SMS messaging.