Mobile

Sometimes only so much explaining can be done with text on the screen. Adding a handwritten drawing or diagram can help pull together and solidify an idea. This is especially true when you're following along on a document that was given to you, like a business plan or notes for a class.

Polaris Office works with Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Adobe PDF files. When using this app on a Galaxy Note series device, you can use the included S Pen to draw directly in your documents. Here's how:

First, open a document or presentation in Polaris … Read more

A trade group that represents Apple, Hewlett-Packard, and several other device makers is pushing to change international rules to make it easier to ship broken mobile phones and other gadgets to developing nations.

The Information Technology Industry Council is suggesting the changes at this week's meeting of the Basel Convention, which oversees the international treaty intended to prevent international toxic waste dumping. The group is proposing new language in the treaty that could reduce the types of gadgets currently considered electronic waste.

The changes are esoteric shifts in what for most consumers is an obscure international document. But, according … Read more

After months of speculation, LG confirmed on Wednesday that its Optimus G Pro will be available exclusively on AT&T on May 10 for $199.99 after contract, with preorders beginning May 3.

Equipped with a 5.5-inch screen, the phone marks LG's second attempt at a "phablet"-size handset in the U.S., with Verizon's LG Intuition being the first. While the Intuition didn't quite take off, the G Pro is a much better device. It performs well, and the G Pro is one of the first U.S. handsets to feature the … Read more

LG and Google are partnering up on a new Nexus handset, according to a new report.

Google and LG executives met recently to discuss a host of topics, including the development of a new Nexus handset, the Korea Times reported, citing people who claim to have knowledge of the matter. LG worked with Google on the Nexus 4, which has proven to be one of the more popular Android handsets on the market.

Each year, Google places its special Nexus branding on certain devices. The company has used it for devices from other vendors in addition to LG. According to … Read more

Things might finally be looking up for LightSquared, the much ballyhooed wireless startup with big plans to blanket the U.S. with 4G LTE service.

The company, which seemed doomed a year ago after the GPS industry successfully lobbied against its efforts to use 40MHz of unused satellite spectrum for terrestrial wireless broadband, may be getting a second chance after all.

This week the company received approval from the Federal Communications Commission to test the feasibility of sharing spectrum with the federal National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). If all goes well with the testing, the company could use this … Read more

Facebook is letting mobile users hide ads in their News Feeds, the company confirmed today.

This applies to the ads that Facebook Pages share featuring photos or links, and is available on iOS, Android, and the mobile Web (Pages are Facebook profiles for brands or public figures). The feature, which was already available on the desktop, has been live for about six months now, according to a representative. Just click the "x" button in the top right of the advertisement.

The Atlantic noted this change after writing an article about how annoying the Facebook mobile ads were.

Additionally, … Read more

Some stories make you wonder.

Some, however, make your eyeballs cease to move.

This, for example, is the story of a T-Mobile employee who says she was made to clock out to use the bathroom.

Which, to the average objective eye, seems a trifle inhumane.

Kristi Rifkin was employed by T-Mobile in its Nashville, Tenn., call center. It seems that, on the whole, she felt her job was relatively sweet music.

However, things changed when she fell pregnant for the second time.

As ABC News reports, her pregnancy was tough. On the advice of a doctor, she had to drink … Read more

Apple is eyeing different shapes for batteries to find more room for them in phones, tablets, and other mobile gadgets.

Published today by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a patent application dubbed "Curved battery cells for portable electronic devices," describes exactly that. The shape of such a battery would be changed during the manufacturing process to form a curve in its design. That trick would be achieved by heating up a set of curved plates and applying pressure to the battery cell.

The goal would be to create a battery that can make better use of … Read more

Documents listed on the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Web site suggest that T-Mobile may soon offer a version of the Sony Xperia Z.

Details show that this flagship Sony smartphone will support T-Mobile's newly launched LTE network as well as pentaband HSPA+. In addition to the standard fare of photos and test results, the docs reveal the user manual and features such as Wi-Fi calling.

First announced in January at CES, the Sony Xperia Z has yet to find a home in the United States. Hardware specifications include a 1.5GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro processor, a 13-megapixel rear … Read more