mobile

San Francisco startup Basis Science confirmed pricing and availability for its Basis health tracker today. The $199 watch-style gadget hits the market in early December, continuing the evolution of wearable fitness technology for everyday consumers. … Read more

More bad news for AT&T.

Consumer Reports has released its annual carrier ratings. And just as it had in the last two years, AT&T landed in last place, far behind the top major carrier in the roundup, Verizon Wireless.

Verizon Wireless fared somewhat well in the study, earning relatively strong marks on voice and data. The only bright spot in AT&T's review was its 4G LTE network, which actually beat out its chief competitor in this year's study.

Sprint and T-Mobile USA landed between Verizon and AT&T.

For its part, … Read more

Apple's iPhone 5 is one step closer to launching in China.

The China Telecommunication Equipment Certification Center has approved the iPhone 5 for a "network access" license in the country. The license approval was discovered by The Wall Street Journal.

Apple is currently planning to launch the iPhone 5 on China Telecom and China Unicom networks. The company is reportedly hoping to bring the device to China Mobile, the country's largest carrier, but so far no deal has been announced.

Apple's approval comes about a month after another regulatory agency, China's State Radio Management, … Read more

Google said today that it has acquired Incentive Targeting, a maker of coupon programs tailored to shoppers based on their individual purchase histories.

Terms of the sale were not disclosed. Google said the company would become part of its mobile commerce efforts.

"We look forward to working with Incentive Targeting in our ongoing efforts to help consumers save time and money and enable retailers to deliver relevant discounts to the right customers," a Google spokesperson told CNET in an e-mail.

Founded in 2007, Incentive Targeting worked with retail chains and brands to design promotions, deliver them via coupon, … Read more

Video-sharing service Vimeo has launched a new iPhone application that has been built from the ground up.

The company's redesigned application, which hit the Apple App Store today, allows users to both create and share videos all from within the app. In addition, users will now find easier access to their video queue and simpler navigation. " In a company blog post, Joseph Schmitt, lead developer at Vimeo, touted the "reimagined iPhone app" as "awesomer, sleeker, more beautiful, way awesomer, and also much more awesomer than ever before."

It appears that Vimeo's focus with … Read more

Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer last night spoke before an invite-only crowd at Fortune's Most Powerful Women event. And although she offered up some details during her interview, she sidestepped any opportunity to fully outline her company's plans.

Not surprisingly, Mayer focused much of her discussion on mobile. The mobile market is growing rapidly, and shareholders are responding favorably to Mayer's claims that the space is integral to Yahoo's future growth. At a recent earnings call, Mayer spent a generous amount of time discussing mobile and why she believes Yahoo is well-positioned to capitalize. She did it … Read more

As if its slumping market share figures aren't enough, Research In Motion has found itself in some legal trouble with Nokia.

A Swedish arbitrator has ruled that RIM is "in breach of contract and is not entitled to manufacture or sell WLAN products without first agreeing [on] royalties with Nokia." If such a royalty agreement is not made, Nokia could have the legal grounds it needs to ban the sale of any BlackBerry devices that violate its patents related to WLAN (wireless local access network) technology.

Reuters was first to report the news.

The trouble between RIM and Nokia … Read more

People are now using their cell phones for much more than talking. According to a new study by the Pew Internet & American Life Project, 85 percent of U.S. adults own a mobile phone and 56 percent of them use it to get online.

"Fully 85 percent of American adults own a cell phone and now use the devices to do much more than make phone calls," Pew's Maeve Duggan and Lee Rainie wrote in the recently released study. "Cell phones have become a portal for an ever-growing list of activities."

The data is … Read more

The iPhone 5 has proved to be a major factor in Android's battle with Apple's iOS.

According to new data published today by research firm Kantar Worldpanel ComTech, iOS was able to nab 48.1 percent of the U.S. smartphone market during the 12-week period ended October 28, just beating out Android's 46.7 percent share.

But elsewhere around the world, iOS isn't nearly as popular. According to the research firm, Android was running on 73.9 percent of all smartphones purchased in Germany during the same period. Android took 81.7 percent of Spain'… Read more