Wednesday, September 18, 2013

Mobile headlines and trending

Mobile

Quora for iPhone embraces the swipe in iOS 7 makeover

Quora for iPhone embraces the swipe in iOS 7 makeover
Question-and-answer service Quora is hoping to capitalize on the attention of iOS 7 with a new iPhone application that dumps tabs in favor of the swiping design patterns offered through Apple's newest operating system.
Founded in 2009, Quora is meant to be a more intelligent playground than Yahoo Answers. In addition to questions and answers, the service also dabbles in blogging and reviews. Now the startup hopes to cater to elite readers on mobile with a redesigned iPhone app; it also has promised to release iPad and iPad Mini apps before the end of the year.
The new Quora

Android engineering manager is Yahoo's latest acquisition

Android engineering manager is Yahoo's latest acquisition
Described in some circles as one of Android open-source gurus, Jean-Baptiste Queru is the latest high-profile Google employee to leave the company.
Queru, also known by his initials JBQ, said on Twitter that he has joined Yahoo as a senior principal engineer working on mobile apps.
The first public indication that the six-year engineering veteran of the Android Open Source Project (AOSP) was reaching the end of his Google tenure came in August.
"There's no point being the maintainer of an operating system that can't boot to the home screen on its flagship device for lack of

White House petitions FCC to make cell phone unlocking legal

White House petitions FCC to make cell phone unlocking legal
Months after endorsing cell phone unlocking, the White House on Tuesday filed a formal petition with the Federal Communications Commission to require wireless carriers to unlock mobile devices upon request.
Filed by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration, the proposal comes after the Obama administration threw its support behind an Internet petition this spring that asked the Library of Congress to change its stance on the legality of smartphone unlocking.
Under the 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Americans are broadly prohibited from "circumventing" technologies that protect copyrighted works. But the DMCA gives the Library of

Verizon thwarting Nexus 7's LTE activations?

Verizon thwarting Nexus 7's LTE activations?
Some Verizon customers who picked up the 4G LTE version of the Google Nexus 7 tablet may not be able to actually activate the device on Verizon's network, despite technical compatibility.
Disgruntled buyers taking to social-media outlets like Twitter and Google+ report that people who bought a Nexus 7 from a third-party source were not able to activate Verizon's LTE on their new tablets.
Tech blogger Jeff Jarvis tweeted that he waited days after contacting Verizon's customer service through social media and in-person visits to receive the Twitter response that "not all LTE tablets are created … 

Good luck finding an iPhone 5S on Friday

Good luck finding an iPhone 5S on Friday
The new iPhone could be an even harder item to obtain than usual come launch day -- at least when it comes to the iPhone 5S.
Supplies for the higher-end iPhone are said to be constrained at launch Friday, according to Boy Genius Report and 9to5 Mac. The carriers also are reportedly facing supply issues, according to AllThingsD.
One carrier source backed up the report to CNET.
"We don't believe we'll have inventory of the iPhone 5S to satisfy demand," said a person familiar with one of the major carrier's launch plans. "We would certainly like more. Hopefully (Apple) will resupply quickly."
Supply issues aren't new to Apple. Indeed, the company often faces shortages with each new iPhone.
But this year, it appears as if the iPhone 5C will be the more readily available version at stores. Roughly 70 percent to 80 percent of the inventory is made up of the iPhone 5C, 9to5 Mac reported.

T-Mobile scolded for ad campaign against AT&T

T-Mobile scolded for ad campaign against AT&T
T-Mobile may have gone too far with its claims against AT&T.
The National Advertising Division has rebuked T-Mobile for several statements made in its advertising campaign, and has issued a statement calling for the ads to be pulled or changed.

Under CEO John Legere, T-Mobile has grown aggressive in needling its larger competitors. T-Mobile is hoping the attention it generates will result in customers leaving the much larger Verizon Wireless and AT&T. AT&T, in particular, has been a favorite target because its customers can easily bring their phones over to the T-Mobile network.
Pads to scan 3D objects
Structure Sensor uses iPads to scan 3D objects
The new Structure Sensor from startup company Occipital promises to convert iPads and iPhones into 3D scanners. The device, which launches today on Kickstarter, is designed to create accurate three-dimensional images of objects in the real world.
I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Occipital CEO Jeff Powers and some of the team behind the Structure Sensor to demo the gadget first hand. Essentially the Structure consists of a bracket-style clip that attaches to the camera side of Apple's iPad.
Connecting to the iPad via its Lightning cable, the Structure then works in unison with its own infrared sensor and black-and-white camera (for depth perception) along with the tablet's onboard imaging system. Commanded by mobile apps living on the iPad, this setup then has the power to "sense" a wide range of objects in real time.

Google Wallet moves past NFC to support all Android phones

Google Wallet moves past NFC to support all Android phones
Google Wallet has just expanded its coverage to virtually the entire world of Android phones.
Announced Tuesday by Google, the new Wallet app no longer is limited to phones outfitted with NFC. As a result, the app is compatible with any phone running Android 2.3 or higher.
The new version also allows you to securely send money to any US resident with an e-mail address. You can freely send money from your bank account or Google Wallet balance or pay a slight premium to tap into funds from a linked credit or debit card. After you've sent money …

iPhone 5C grabs 2.2 million preorders, estimates analyst

iPhone 5C grabs 2.2 million preorders, estimates analyst
Apple may have snagged around 2.2 million preorders for its iPhone 5C during the initial 24 hours last Friday, projects Citi analyst Glen Yeung.
That number tops the 2 million preorders scored by the iPhone 5 over the first 24 hours last year. However, the iPhone 5C preorders include those from China and Japan's NTT DoCoMo, which were not part of the initial rollout phase for the iPhone 5 in 2012.

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