Sprint to sell Samsung and HTC Windows Phone 8 devices

Sprint announced today that it will unveil two Windows Phone 8 devices by this summer -- one from Samsung and another from HTC.

The mobile carrier made the announcement with Microsoft at the Consumer Electronics Show today.

"Sprint has had a strong relationship with Microsoft for many years so we are excited to reinforce our commitment to the Windows 8 platform by sharing the details and timing for our first Windows Phone 8 smartphones," Sprint senior vice president of product development and operations Fared Adib said in a statement. "These smartphones combine a robust new operating platform … Read more

Qualcomm's keynote at 2013 CES: Join us Monday, 6:30 p.m. PT (live blog)

Qualcomm isn't exactly a household name, but the wireless chipmaker should be a little more familiar after CEO Paul Jacobs' keynote at the 2013 CES at 6:30 p.m. PT (9:30 p.m. ET) on Monday, Jan. 7.

CNET will be there to cover it live with a live video stream and blog with news updates as they happen.

You can catch the live blog and video stream here:

CNET's live coverage of Qualcomm's 2013 CES keynote.

Jacobs nabbed his speaking slot from longtime CES participant Microsoft, which declared 2012 to be its last show. … Read more

Google to make Maps accessible to Windows Phone users

Google says that it will no longer block Windows Phone users from accessing Google Maps and that the blockage was about ensuring a good user experience, not about intentionally interfering with a rival product.

The blockage generated headlines, with various news outlets suggesting that it was not about poor functionality on the part of the mobile version of Internet Explorer but was more about behavior on the part of Google that, ironically, was beginning to resemble past behavior by Microsoft.

Google, of course, just dodged an antitrust bullet from the U.S. Federal Trade Commission, and it continues to face … Read more

Google may need history lesson on blocking rivals' products

Update, 4:17 p.m. PT: Google says it's working to remove its Maps redirect, which bumps IE mobile users to Google.com. You can read the company's statement here.

With its decision to block Windows Phone users from accessing Google Maps, Google isn't the first browser maker to block users from accessing content with a competitive product. Microsoft has done the same in the distant and not-so-distant past. But that's still no excuse for what looks like nothing other than a petty, short-sighted move on Google's part.

Back in 2001, Microsoft was slammed for … Read more

How Microsoft became a control freak with tablet makers

Microsoft wasn't taking chances.

The company was about to introduce one of its biggest operating system releases, and it needed its hardware partners to develop products that could genuinely rival the iPad and Android tablets.

Microsoft took control of partners working with the new Windows RT software that ran on low-power chips normally used for cell phones. It held regular meetings with the small group of companies in its development program and dictated to a large extent what the devices looked like. Details were everything. Microsoft even told one company to move the location of its Windows home key, … Read more

Samsung still rules U.S. mobile market

Samsung continues to reign over the rest of the mobile-phone industry in the U.S., according to the latest stats from ComScore.

Looking at the three months ending with November, Samsung won 26.9 percent of all mobile subscribers in the U.S., a 1.2 point gain from the prior three-month period. Apple took home second place with 18.5 percent of the market, a gain of 1.4 points.

Samsung continues to wear the crown, but its share hasn't grown much from a year ago. In contrast, Apple has slowly been rising up the ranks. For the … Read more

Aluminum Nokia Lumia looming, 'sources' say

Call it the Nokia aLuminum.

If "sources" are correct, the next Lumia we could see land on shelves will be made not of the typical polycarbonate that's composed every Lumia since its inception, but of aluminum. The report comes from The Verge, citing "sources familiar with Nokia's plans."

Allegedly code-named the Nokia Catwalk, the future Lumia variant will succeed this fall's Nokia Lumia 920 flagship Windows phone. Hardware specs won't vary much in this model, if the rumor proves true, a point that's sure to bum out Nokia fans waiting for … Read more

Skype 'temporarily' disables People Hub in Windows Phone update

Skype has updated its Windows Phone application with some new features -- and the loss of a key one.

The company yesterday updated its app for Windows Phone 7.5 and Windows Phone 8 with a preview release. Skype was quick to point out that the "experiences are not yet final," adding that some features "are work-in-progress and may not function consistently." Those features address, among other things, call reliability and "the ability to receive incoming calls and chat notifications when outside of the app."

Although Skype didn't offer too many other details, … Read more

Apple's App Store gets top grade from research firm

Apple's App Store gets the nod as the best mobile app store, at least in the eyes of research firm ABI.

Ranking app stores for both innovation and implementation, ABI dubbed Apple the overall winner, with Google in second place and Microsoft's Windows Phone app store in third.

Apple soared ahead of the pack in terms of implementation, outshining Google Play and RIM's BlackBerry App World. The App Store was cited for its "effective approach to monetization, large market share over the app industry, and the ability to achieve a large inventory of titles while maintaining … Read more