mobile

Symantec brings new Insights to Mobile Security

On Wednesday, Symantec released a new version update to Norton Mobile Security. The main focus of this release highlights Symantec's goal to prevent apps from leaking private data.

With this version comes the debut of Norton Mobile Insights, the byproduct of a massive endeavor to analyze over 4 million popular apps across various app stores to determine whether an app puts users' personal data at risk. "The issue of privacy is a complex and evolving one, for both consumers and developers," said Con Mallon, Symantec's Senior Director and product manager. Mallon believes that users are starting … Read more

Google's Samsung Galaxy S4 now available in Google Play

Editors' note: For this review, I focused on how the Samsung Galaxy S4 Play Edition differs from the carrier-branded version of the handset. For our complete assessment of the original Galaxy S4's design, features, and performance, please see our full review.

High-end, powerful, and completely Google-fied, the unlocked variant of the popular Samsung Galaxy S4 is now available from Google Play.

Announced during Google I/O in May and shipping out to customers beginning July 9, the Samsung Galaxy S4 Google Play Edition remains largely the same as the original S4. It still sports a quad-core processor and a … Read more

AT&T turns on 7 new LTE markets, expands in six areas

AT&T has expanded its LTE presence in the U.S.

The company announced Wednesday that it has turned on seven new LTE markets in the U.S. The new markets include Grand Rapids, Minn., Hot Springs, Ark., and Mount Vernon, Ohio. In addition, AT&T has expanded LTE coverage in Atlanta, New York City, and Columbia, S.C., among other areas.

With the new markets, AT&T now has 291 areas with LTE, covering over 200 million people across the U.S. By the end of this year, AT&T expects its LTE rollout to … Read more

Telefonica inks deal with Microsoft to break Android, iOS 'duopoly'

Telefonica, one of the world's largest carriers, has signed a deal with Microsoft to promote far more heavily the software giant's Windows Phone 8 operating system and devices running it.

The carrier said in a statement on Wednesday that over the next year, it will enhance its marketing efforts for Windows Phone 8 and Windows Phone 8 devices. The company will focus those marketing efforts in several of its major markets, including the U.K., Germany, Spain, and Brazil.

Telefonica said that its move is designed to enhance competition in the marketplace. The company said Wednesday it wants … Read more

Over 1 million American Android users have downloaded adware

Adware has become a somewhat concerning issue on Android, a new study from security firm Lookout has discovered.

According to the security company, over the last year alone, over 1 million American Android users have unknowingly downloaded adware. What's worse, 6.5 percent of the free applications available in the Google Play marketplace now contain adware of some sort.

Adware isn't exactly the easiest topic to define, since there's a gray area between what's proper ad practice and what's not. However, Lookout says that there are a few key hallmarks that turn seemingly innocuous ads … Read more

Basis Band gains fresh style

Basis Science, the maker of the Basis Band fitness gadget, announced today three splashy wrist straps. The company hopes the straps will bring a fresh dose of chic to the fitness-minded smartwatch.

Named with evocative titles such as Electric Spring, Carbon Steel, and Cityscape, each strap accessory features a distinctive aesthetic. Cityscape ($34.95) uses a black and white street scene motif, whereas Carbon Steel ($49.95) is made from stainless steel and soft silicone.

The Electric Spring strap ($34.95) is the most daring of all, with wildly colored patterns reminiscent of ink drops and flowers.

If you're … Read more

Square challenges Amazon, eBay with online marketplace

Square, the mobile payments startup best known for its credit card readers, is branching into e-commerce to take on the likes of eBay and Amazon.

The company on Tuesday launched Square Market, an online marketplace that allows merchants to sell their wares online without the expense of building and maintaining their own sites.

"Creating an online marketplace is our next step in making commerce easy for everyone," Ajit Varma, Square's director of discovery, said in a statement. "Square Market makes local businesses accessible to customers down the block and across the country."

The marketplace allows … Read more

Mobile malware grows by 614 percent in last year

Mobile malware creators and smartphone makers seem to be in a neck-and-neck software race, but new data shows that the malware creators could be taking the lead.

Juniper Networks released its third annual Mobile Threat Report on Tuesday and the findings aren't pretty. Mobile malware grew at a rate of 614 percent from March 2012 to March 2013 -- that's equal to 276,259 malicious apps floating around out there. Last year, the increase was a mere 155 percent.

The report is based on an analysis of more than 1.85 million mobile apps and vulnerabilities across major … Read more

iOS and Android to get Xbox and Microsoft PC games?

Microsoft's Xbox and PC games may be coming to Apple's iPhone and Android devices sometime this year, according to a report by Nikkei via Reuters.

The tech giant is allegedly working on a licensing deal with Japanese mobile game maker KLab to bring its games to other smartphone platforms, according to Reuters. One of the first games said to be released is Age of Empires, which reportedly will be free and available on iOS and Android smartphones by the end of this year.

While Microsoft's Windows Phone has access to dozens of Xbox and PC games, both … Read more