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Did Sprint's Hero update kill copy-protected apps?

Sprint rolled out an over-the-air update to its HTC Hero earlier this week to address a couple of bugs and add a few small features. But since the release, some users are reporting that copyright-protected apps have disappeared from their phones. Did this "fix" accidentally break something entirely different?

Those who have lost the copyright-protected apps also report that they can't even find the apps in the Android Market even if they have already paid for them.

A quick look around a few Google and Sprint discussion boards shows that the problem is not isolated to a … Read more

HTC Passion rumors heat up

We've seen the Motorola Droid and the HTC Droid Eris from Verizon Wireless so far, but apparently there is a third Verizon Android handset waiting in the wings, if rumors are to be believed.

Rumors are that it will be the HTC Passion, which is supposedly powered by a 1GHz Snapdragon chipset (the Passion might also be called the Dragon). The rumor mill (from Boy Genius, Phone Arena, and elsewhere) claims that the HTC Passion will feature a 5-megapixel camera, a large WVGA-resolution screen with multitouch, a 3.5mm headset jack, 256MB RAM, and it's said to run … Read more

HTC expects rough fourth quarter

After a string of weak quarters, mobile phone maker HTC is eyeing more of the same for the current quarter but is hoping for better results next year.

The Taiwan-based company expects sales for the fourth quarter to drop to between 40 billion and 42 billion Taiwan dollars (between $1.23 billion and $1.3 billion), around 15 percent lower than in last year's fourth quarter.

Competition from other smartphones, especially the iPhone 3GS released this summer, has tempered demand for HTC's products, which include the Hero, Droid Eris, Tilt 2, MyTouch 3G, Snap, and Ozone.

Prices on … Read more

Slow start for the Motorola Droid?

NEW YORK--The new Motorola Droid got a sleepy reception on Friday morning when it officially went on sale across the country in Verizon Wireless stores starting at 7 a.m. in some places.

From New York to San Francisco, most stores around the country had few if any lines when doors opened Friday morning. There was a handful of people waiting outside at the Verizon Wireless store on West 34th Street here in Manhattan. And about 20 people waited in line outside a store here on Sixth Avenue, as well as at one in Clifton, N.J., Verizon officials said.

CNET reporters in San Francisco reported they saw only about 15 customers lined up for the device before a Verizon Wireless store opened there Friday.

The scene was somewhat more lively last night, when Verizon Wireless opened its West 34th Street in New York City from midnight to 2 a.m. About 100 eager Droid customers were in line when the store opened last night. Verizon spokesman David Samberg said the company sold 85 Droids in the first 45 minutes the store was open on Thursday night.

But even though the Droid didn't stir enough enthusiasm to get people to stand outside on a cold November morning, there appeared to be a steady stream of customers in several Verizon Wireless stores. Many customers were interested in the Droid, while some were checking out the new HTC Android Eris, which also went on sale Friday.

Lines are overratedSamberg said that a lack of a long line or shortage of devices is actually a good thing. And he urged people to not prejudge the phone's success on that alone.… Read more

Smartphone market unfazed by recession

Consumer demand for smartphones seems to be unstoppable.

In the third quarter, vendors shipped a record 43.3 million devices, up 4.2 percent from last year's third quarter and up 3.2 percent from this year's second quarter, says a report released Thursday by market researcher IDC.

Among smartphone vendors, Nokia still enjoys the greatest market share, according to IDC, with a 37.9 percent slice for the third quarter.… Read more

Verizon's November feast

When it rains it pours. On Thursday, Verizon Wireless opened the floodgates and unleashed a handful of cell phones and smartphones that should make their way into your hands just in time for the holiday shopping season. It looks like there's a little something for everyone, so let us know which you are most excited about in our comments section.

Here is a roundup of all of today's news:

Verizon's Droid Eris offers Android for less Verizon introduces BlackBerry Curve 8530 LG Chocolate Touch is now official Samsung's Convoy goes rugged Verizon offers prepaid wireless for laptopsRead more

Verizon's Droid Eris offers Android for less

Perhaps Verizon Wireless is trying to scoop itself, but just as it's set to launch its hype-worthy Motorola Droid, the carrier took the wraps off its second Google Android phone, the Droid Eris. The Eris, made by HTC, is a close cousin to Sprint's HTC Hero. It shows a few design differences, but the feature set is largely the same. Yet, unlike the Hero, the Eris is available at the bargain-basement price of $99 with service.

On the outside you'll first notice the 3.2-inch display, which offers seven home screen for full customization. The display is … Read more

Apple, RIM grab market share from Nokia

As Apple and Research In Motion have won a greater share in the Wi-Fi handset market over the past year, Nokia has lost share.

Though Nokia is still the leading vendor for dual-mode smartphones (Wi-Fi and cellular), its market share dropped to 35 percent in the second quarter, compared with 50 percent in the same period a year ago, according to a report released Monday from In-Stat.

The report "Wi-Fi in Mobile Phones: Dual Mode Becomes the In Thing" tracked the major Wi-Fi phone vendors, including Nokia, Apple, Research In Motion, HTC, and Samsung. Among those, Apple has … Read more

HTC HD2 coming to a U.S. carrier in early 2010

One of the smartphones that left quite an impression on us at CTIA Fall 2009 was the HTC HD2. It could have been the massive 4.3-inch capacitive touch screen, its extreme thinness, or that the Windows Mobile 6.5 smartphone was powered by Qualcomm's new 1GHz Snapdragon mobile processor--whatever the reason, we wanted this device.

Well, it looks like we might be only a few months away from seeing this wish become reality. Already shipping in Europe and now in Taiwan, HTC announced on Wednesday that it plans to bring the HTC HD2 to the United States with … Read more