Android

This week, some old-time rumors reared their heads.

Rumors of a Facebook phone resurfaced after a rather cryptic invite went out last week to "Come see our new home on Android." What could it mean?

Amazon has something secret up its sleeve -- possibly. A former Windows Phone exec recently stated on his LinkedIn profile that he's working on something "secret" and "wonderful." Could Amazon finally be letting its Amazon phone cat out of the bag? Let's hope not.

And finally, not to be outdone, Apple supposedly held some secret meetings at the Game Developers Conference … Read more

A years-long marriage of convenience that linked Google and Apple browser technologies is ending in divorce.

In a move that Google says will technologically liberate both Chrome and Safari, the company has begun its own offshoot of the WebKit browser engine project called Blink. Initially it uses the same software code base that all WebKit-based browsers share, but over time it will diverge into a totally separate project, Google announced today.

The move marks the end of years of direct WebKit programming cooperation between the two rivals. WebKit is an open-source project, meaning that anyone can use and modify the … Read more

Marvel character and billionaire entrepreneur Tony Stark loves his tech toys, most notably the glowing chemical core embedded in his chest and his supercharged flying suit. But starting May 3, he may show a little love for the Alcatel One Touch Idol smartphone.

First seen at CES 2013, and soon to be seen in the film "Iron Man 3," the One Touch Idol is part of an exclusive mobile phone partnership for the film.

Alcatel and Marvel aren't sharing how often Tony Stark, played by Robert Downey Jr., and other characters will hold the phone, or how … Read more

Android has grabbed the lead over iOS in the battle for U.S. smartphone buyers, according to a report out yesterday from Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

From mid-November through mid-February, Android increased its share of U.S. smartphone sales to 51.2 percent, up from 45 percent during the same three-month period in 2012. Over the same time, Apple's iOS dropped to second place as its share of U.S. sales fell to 43.5 percent from 47 percent.

Much of the surge in Android can be attributed to Apple arch-rival Samsung.

Prices drops on Samsung phones in the last … Read more

Just as expected, carriers have begun to slash prices on Samsung's Galaxy S3 handset in anticipation of stocking the bigger, fancier Samsung Galaxy S4 successor.

AT&T announced this morning that beginning today, its Galaxy S3 will sell for $99.99 with a two-year contract, an instant $100 reduction. Expect other carriers to follow suit.

Galaxy S4 preorders begin on April 16 for AT&T. The $250 in-contract Galaxy S4 cost makes the Galaxy S3 look like a bargain, a tactic that will help the carrier clear old stock to make room on the shelves for the … Read more

Safari has won back some of the ground it lost recently to rival mobile browsers.

Apple's iOS browser captured 61.79 percent of all mobile browser Web traffic seen by Net Applications in March. That was a healthy rise from the 55.41 percent tracked in February.

Safari remained firmly in the lead last month, followed by the default Android browser in second place with a 21.86 percent share and Opera Mini in the third spot with 8.4 percent. But Safari has seen its share of Net Applications' Web traffic rocked by the competition.

After rising steadily … Read more

On what should be a quiet Good Friday, speculation is flying over an Android-themed event that Facebook has scheduled for next Thursday.

Of course, the most low-hanging rumor fruit is that the company will really-we-mean-it-this-time introduce the endlessly discussed "Facebook phone." This is one rumor mill that makes me ill so I'll defer to BGR's Zach Epstein to explain what I think the chances are of such a device. (Spoiler: there's not a chance)

Please, God, no Now I could be wrong. And if I am, I'll say so next week if the rumored HTC Myst … Read more

Starting April 16, U.S. Cellular customers will be able to preorder Samsung's newest flagship, the Galaxy S4.

The handset is joining the ranks of other Samsung devices under the regional carrier's belt, which includes the previous GS3, the Note 2, the Galaxy Axiom, and the Galaxy Note 10.1.

Currently, users can register with U.S. Cellular to receive a special preorder offer online.

The handset itself officially debuted earlier this month at a New York press conference.

It will have a 13-megapixel camera, run Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, and feature a quad-core Qualcomm Snapdragon … Read more

Another day, another smartwatch rumor. This time, it's Google that was feeling left out, what with all the "iWatch" rumors and Samsung throwing its hat into the ring. What do you think about Google's rumor smartwatch? What do you think would make it different from the plethora of other smartwatches that are out there? Leave a comment and let us know what you think!

Also on this week's show, the next-gen Xbox might not use its optical drive for games, according to leaked documents. At least it'll play Blu-ray (maybe)! Google Play might be … Read more