Mobile

Future iPhone could sport invisible buttons

The iPhone could one day come with buttons and controls that blend right into the background, effectively making them invisible.

Granted to Apple on Tuesday by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, a patent dubbed "Disappearing button or slider" describes how various controls on the iPhone and other devices would normally stay hidden and fully appear only when needed.

A button would be made of the same material as the housing of the phone, so it would blend in seamlessly. But it could be selectively backlit through small holes to pinpoint its location, or the backlight itself … Read more

Nokia takes on iPhone 5, Galaxy S3 in latest Lumia video

Nokia is taking the fight to Samsung and Apple in a new video posted to YouTube.

Dubbed "The Hurricane," the video follows a roller coaster going around its track as it's being filmed by Nokia's new Lumia handset, the Lumia 928, as well as by Apple's iPhone 5 and Samsung's Galaxy S3. Thanks to the handset's 8.7-megapixel PureView camera, Nokia argues, Lumia's visuals will be much better than those of its rivals when recording video.

After showing the roller coaster moving around the track, Nokia's video compares frames to those … Read more

T-Mobile's Q1 sees revenue drop, customer gains

In the midst of a turnaround effort, T-Mobile reported late Tuesday that its first-quarter revenue declined 7 percent on service revenue losses while adding new customers.

The wireless carrier recorded total revenues of $4.68 billion for the first quarter, compared with $5.03 billion for the year-ago quarter. Service revenue decreased 9.9 percent to $4 billion but were offset by increased equipment revenue. Its adjusted earnings, excluding interest, tax, depreciation, and amortization, totaled $1.2 billion, a 12.4 percent increase over the fourth quarter of 2012 but a 7.5 percent decline over the year-ago period.

The … Read more

SoftBank turns up the heat on Dish over Sprint merger

As the bidding war between Dish and SoftBank for the merger of Sprint intensifies, SoftBank is pulling out all the stops to block Dish from getting in the way.

The Japanese wireless carrier launched a new Web site on Tuesday pointing out the reasons it believes it should be the company to acquire Sprint. It also funded a study (pdf) for an industry expert to question the benefits that Dish claims would come from its Sprint merger.

Sprint has been in talks with SoftBank since last October regarding a $20.1 billion offer, but as the closing date neared, Dish … Read more

Yahoo experimenting with Google Glass, CEO Mayer says

NEW YORK--Yahoo is experimenting with Google Glass, Yahoo Chief Executive Marissa Mayer said Tuesday.

Google's Internet-connected eyewear has generated a lot of buzz, but it's still too early to know if it will take off. So far, the glasses come with few apps and limited functionality, but many developers are working on creating software for Glass, spurred in part by some big Silicon Valley investors looking to back startups making Glass apps.

Mayer said Tuesday at a Wired business conference in New York that Yahoo has gotten its hands on some developer versions of Google Glass, and employees … Read more

Skype beware, Viber flies past 200M users, lands on desktop

Add Viber to the list of insanely popular messaging services that have more than 200 million users.

The 2-year-old mobile messaging and VoIP service, developed by Viber Media, announced the new stat Tuesday, saying that it has 200 million members spread across 193 countries. The company also revealed Viber Desktop for free calling and messaging on PCs and Macs.

Viber, which specializes in mobile apps for iOS, Android, and most other operating systems, lets people use their mobile numbers in place of usernames and allows for free calls and multimedia messages over cellular or Wi-Fi connections. Viber Desktop carries the … Read more

Qualcomm walks fine line between privacy, connected devices

NEW YORK--Qualcomm is walking a fine line between enabling the "Internet of Things" and protecting users' privacy, the chipmaker's chief executive said Tuesday.

Paul Jacobs, speaking at the Wired Business Conference in New York, said that nearly everything people interact with will be connected to the Internet in the future, but that also means companies have to figure out a way to make such technology less intrusive.

For example, department stores or restaurants can detect when someone is walking by and send them coupons, but not all people may want to receive those offers. So Qualcomm and … Read more

Sapphire phone screens not as strong as you think, says Corning

On the surface, smartphones screens made of sapphire sound superb -- they're naturally strong, extremely scratch resistant, can withstand flexing, and transmit light very well. That's the widely accepted story, at least.

Disputing this view is Corning, maker of the Gorilla Glass material that covers a majority of smartphone screens.

Corning, whose aeronautics branch has worked with lab-grown sapphire since the 1970s, says it tested the strength of sapphire claims -- a potential cover glass alternative -- in-house.

Corning's conclusion: that sapphire, the world's second-hardest material after diamond, just can't take the lumps that a … Read more

Google Glass is missing one critical factor

Google Glass has generated plenty of interest and excitement. But before we crown it an industry revolutionizer, let's not forget that Google Glass still doesn't have a clear response to the one big question that all revolutionary products must answer:

How does it make my life better?

Every game-changing product innovation over the past three decades had a very simple answer to that question. For example, the iPhone gave you the Internet in your pocket. The BlackBerry gave you e-mail on your phone. The Macintosh (and later Windows) gave you a computer you could use without typing in … Read more