Articles about Smartphone

Microsoft's big release of the day may be Windows 8.1, but it doesn't end there. The desktop operating system may have stolen the headlines today, but Microsoft also recognizes the importance of mobile devices. The company is not only concerned with its own devices, realizing that Apple and Android still dominate the mobile arena. But this does not mean that mobile users do not need access to Windows PCs -- hence the release of Microsoft Remote Desktop for iOS and Android.

The prospect of running Windows on an Android or iOS device may be a little way off yet, but it can be achieved via remote access -- which has the handy side effects of making it possible to access files, apps and anything else that might be needed whilst away from your computer. There is no shortage of remote desktop apps in the App Store, but Microsoft's offering aims to keep things simple. As you would expect, this is an app -- free of course -- that can be used to control a Windows PC from an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch or Android device.

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You’ve probably never given any thought to exactly how much time you spend gazing, gawping, glowering and glaring at screens on a daily basis -- but with TVs, computers, tablets and smartphones being such a major part of our lives, you probably won’t be surprised to hear it’s a lot.

Virtual meetings specialist PGi was curious to find out exactly how much time the average person spends a day looking at various screens and has created an infographic which reveals the shocking (or, depending on your viewpoint, not so shocking) results.

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The Android operating system and school of thought are undergoing a major change; a sea change brought on by the Motorola Moto X and its voice interaction. After using it, I remarked that specifications and benchmarks melted away and I was enveloped in the experience. However, not everyone wants to interact with their smartphone using voice. Some people, myself sometimes included, just want to touch a big beautiful display and have the best specs and most bragging rights... and that's OK. People are different as is their usage.

The LG G2 represents Android's old-school, previous school of thought. It is fast and flashy and will trounce the Moto X in speed. However, the phone infamously has a new trick up its sleeve by assigning the buttons to the rear. This feature stole the focus from the device in the media and rightfully so. After all, it is an out-of-the-box approach that people just haven't seen before. I have been using this smartphone for a couple of weeks now and I finally feel ready to share what it is and what is isn't. At the end of this article, you will find out whether I can recommend it or not.

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We're fairly certain that Windows Phone 8.1 is not too far off, but in the meantime we're left to content ourselves with the updates that trickle out for the OS from time to time. Update 3, previously known as GDR 3, has been released, and my colleague Mihaita has taken a look at how to get it installed and what you can expect to find when you do.

It was known in advance that this was going to be a relatively minor update, but I'm the kind of person who greets an update to any operating system with an almost childlike excitement. The moment I was able to do so, the download was under way and my Nokia Lumia 928 was receiving the update treatment. Here follows my reaction to Windows Phone 8 Update 3. To avoid any possible confusion, this is absolutely my opinion; this is about my experience, my feelings, my reaction. As writers are wont to say, "your mileage may vary".

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The internet is an amazing tool, especially for children looking to learn. It is essentially the world's biggest library available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But the web also has a darker side, and parents have to ask themselves the question "when is the right time to let my child go online?" Or, as Director of Online Safety at Microsoft, Kim Sanchez puts it "How old is too young to go online?".

This is a far more complicated problem than it used to be. It is not all that long ago that the average household had no more than one computer, which may not have been connected to the internet. Now, however, we live in a time when households could have multiple computers. There might still be one shared "family" computer, but it is also very common for children to have their own computer or laptop. There are also phones and tablets to think of. Pester power is an incredible thing, and it’s a strong parent who is able to resist giving into demands for a tablets when "all my friends have one".

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Microsoft has officially taken the wraps off Windows Phone 8 Update 3. The latest version of the tiled smartphone OS introduces a number of noteworthy changes, including support for Qualcomm's quad-core Snapdragon 800 processor, larger displays with 1080p resolution, extra rows and columns of live tiles on phablets, auto-rotation screen lock and the option to close apps from the multitasking menu.

Aside from the aforementioned good news, Microsoft also revealed that Windows Phone 8 Update 3 is available in preview form to developers and early adopters, ahead of the public roll-out, through the Dev Center and App Studio programs. And here's how you can install it on your Windows Phone 8 handset.

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Following the news that Windows Phone 8 Update 3 is available to developers, I updated my Nokia Lumia 920 to the latest version through my App Studio account. My colleague Alan Buckingham went through the changes this release introduces in one of his past stories. As you may known, the latest goodies will make their way to all compatible handsets once the upgrade rolls out to the public over the next couple of months.

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Fans of smartphones with larger displays have a new reason to celebrate as HTC takes the wraps off the gigantically-screened HTC One max. The new 5.9-inch device joins the HTC One and HTC One Mini, creating quite a family of choice.

The One max is without a doubt the daddy of the group, and in addition to the larger screen it also features HTC Sense 5.5. Just like the One, the One max has an all-metal (well, mostly) body.

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It looks as though Facebook is trying to help reduce the costs of using the social network on the move with its acquisition of Onavo. Onavo specializes in mobile data compression and data usage tracking, with a goal of helping people use mobile data more efficiently. The company has an office in Tel-Aviv, and this is to be turned into Facebook's Israeli office.

The acquisition comes a couple of months after Mark Zuckerberg launched Internet.org with a view to making the internet available to a larger number of people around the world. Onavo joining forces with Facebook is not unrelated, and the company says it is "eager to take the next step and make an even bigger impact by supporting Facebook's mission to connect the world".

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In another busy week, Microsoft continued to promote Internet Explorer 11 by showing off some of the new features that will be available to Windows 8 users. At the same time, the company released a tool that lets Windows 7 users block the update. Microsoft also announced that it would speed up the approval process for apps submitted to the Windows Store, so initial certification can be complete within five days.

Moving away from the desktop, champagne corks were popping as it was revealed that Raspberry Pi has sold 1.75 million units. After the launch of Mavericks, Mihaita was taken with his MacBook Air, and I was quite impressed with the Tesco Hudl -- although it's not going to be replacing my Nexus 7 any time soon.

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It is three years ago today that Windows Phone first saw the light of day. Microsoft's mobile operating system has now been with us for a full 36 months, when Windows Phone 7 took the baton from Windows Mobile. There isn’t much in the way of celebration from Microsoft, and the anniversary was quietly ushered in by the company's Joe Belfiore in a tweet:

Happy Bday, "MetroUI"!  3 yrs ago today WP7 launched. In just a few countries on just one chip with only a handful of apps...

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Many of us are so attached to our mobile devices that we take them to bed with us, but we're failing to take basic security precautions. This is among the findings of the 2013 Norton Report.

The report shows that whilst the number of online adults who have experienced cybercrime has fallen, the average cost per victim is up by 50 percent. In the UK, however, the cost per victim has fallen, down from £144 in 2012, to £101 in 2013.

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Let me preface this story by saying that, here at BetaNews, we have a policy against discussing rumors. Quite often some "leaked" information, provided by anonymous sources, turns out to be false, and we feel that it is best to report details that we know to be true, based on official sources that can be verified and our experience with various products. That said, I cannot help feeling surprised by what Nokia just revealed in one of its blog posts, after reading the rumor stories floating around the InterWebs.

Prior to any major press event Nokia usually posts a teaser showing a small part of an upcoming product, or a hint at what will be unveiled. This approach is designed to keep people interested, or to pique their interest at least, and add a shroud of mystery. But this time around the Finnish maker has released a full-blown poster which most likely features all the devices that the company will announce in Abu Dhabi, the place where its next big press event will be held.

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T-Mobile is taking the wraps off the next stage of its "uncarrier" program, revealing that from the end of October anyone on its Simple Choice plans are going to get something for free. Not just any old something. Free text and free unlimited data. It doesn't end there. The free offers work on a global scale, meaning that international data and texts will be free in more than 100 countries.

John Legere, president and CEO of T-Mobile US, Inc. says "Today's phones are designed to work around the world, but we're forced to pay insanely inflated international connectivity fees to actually use them. You can't leave the country without coming home to bill shock. So we're making the world your network -- at no extra cost".

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Apple's new iPhones, the 5s and the 5c, posted record sales in the first weekend of availability, with the Cupertino, Calif.-based corporation shifting 9 million units in just three days. And the company is gearing towards boosting that number even further as, today, it announces that the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c will soon reach an additional 51 markets.

The iPhone 5s and the iPhone 5c will be available in 35 more markets a little over two weeks from today, on October 25, with the two devices to arrive in the 16 remaining markets a week later, on November 1.

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