mobile

Colin Giles, Nokia's former senior vice president of sales, has a new gig.

The executive, who left Nokia in April 2012 to spend more time with his family, has been appointed executive vice president of Huawei's Consumer Business Group. In his new position, Giles will head up the Chinese firm's global marketing, retail, and open channel development.

One of Giles' first tasks will be to promote the company's Ascend P6 smartphone. Huawei argues that the handset, which launched just a few weeks ago, is the slimmest in the world, making it an appealing option to international … Read more

Microsoft's Windows Phone 8 operating system might soon support 1080p resolution, leaked file information in Visual Studio 2013 suggests.

Former Nokia and Microsoft engineer Justin Angel tweeted out on Monday an image of Visual Studio 2013. The image showed Windows Phone 8 emulator files containing 1080p resolution of 1,920 x 1,080.

Microsoft's mobile operating system supports 720p resolution, as well as WVGA and WXGA. Full 1080p support, however, has been sorely lacking from the operating system. The resolution is available on several Android handsets.

For its part, Microsoft hasn't confirmed that 1080p support is coming … Read more

The bezel around touch-screen displays might become a bit more useful in the future, if Apple has its way.

The company on Tuesday was awarded a patent on a bezel technology that could extend the viewable area of the screen. The patent, which was filed in September 2012, specifically describes a method by which the bezel around the display will remain opaque when users are touching around the screen. As they get close to the bezel, however, it turns transparent to reveal more screen real estate. Apple specifically calls it a "window." AppleInsider was first to discover the patent.… Read more

Though it may be several months old, the Nexus 7 still sets the standard for an excellent and inexpensive 7-inch tablet. So much so that every similar device that has followed it cannot escape its shadow.

The Hisense Sero 7 Pro is no exception. In and of itself, it has a fast quad-core processor and a respectable touch screen. And priced at $149 at Walmart stores, you don't have to break the bank to get this unit.

Yet, the Nexus 7 is still the more desirable option given its more compact build, superior performance, and value. True, you won'… Read more

Vonage Mobile is a nifty way to get free calls and texts, but only if you don't mind that it's frequently offline. It has a gorgeous layout and other good perks, though. Add in some decent call quality and a video-calling feature over Wi-Fi and 3G/4G, and you've got the makings of a good app.

Like most similar apps, calls, texts, and video chats are only free if your friend uses the service. During testing, only two contacts were already on the app. That's not a ringing endorsement. However, inviting people to Vonage Mobile is … Read more

Samsung fans, listen up: a new Galaxy Note 3 phone might be right around the corner. A new report claims the latest phablet device from the Korean tech giant could become a reality in September.

Samsung certainly has made a lot of noise about its newest Galaxy S4 superphone, but another of its popular gadget lines, the Galaxy Note franchise, is sorely overdue for a refresh. Now it appears a Note 3 model is in the works, according to sources close to technology blog Android Geeks.

You may recall that the original Galaxy Note first shook up the mobile device … Read more

Facing stiff competition in mobile messaging, Microsoft-owned Skype updated its Android application Monday with a crisper design meant to emphasize conversations. The application has been installed on more than 100 million Android devices, Skype said.

Skype for Android 4.0 arrives with a contemporary look where messaging -- chats, voice calls, and video calls -- takes center stage.

The application now features a person's most recent conversations on the home screen and comes with call and chat buttons at the bottom of the screen for quick access. Messaging dominates in the Favorites and Contacts tabs as well, as the … Read more

Hewlett-Packard plans to jump back into the smartphone business.

Yam Su Yin, HP's senior director for consumer PC and media tablets for Asia Pacific, told the Press Trust of India that the company will focus on all segments of the market, including tablets, notebooks, and all-in-one PCs, the Indian Express reported Sunday.

Asked specifically about a smartphone, Yin said: "The answer is yes, but I cannot give a timetable. It would be silly if we say no. HP has to be in the game."

HP attempted to carve a bigger slice of the mobile market after acquiring Palm in 2010. … Read more

Available for $69.99 with a two-year contract, or $99.99 prepaid, the keyboard-sporting Samsung Freeform 5 is now available on U.S. Cellular.

Similar to its predecessor, the device features a 2.4-inch QVGA display and a 1,000mAh battery (which has a reported talk time of up to six hours).

There are some minor differences, however. Specifically, it now has a 3-megapixel rear-facing camera (compared to the Freeform 4's 2-megapixel shooter), and design changes include a slightly tweaked keyboard layout, more space between the buttons, and a new coat of blue paint.

When I took a look … Read more