Good idea? Google retail store in New York’s Chelsea neighbourhood will sell Pixel phones, FitBit devices and Nest products
News Smartphones
Virgin Media, O2 Merger Achieves Final Clearance By CMA
CMA gives its official blessing to merger of O2 and Virgin Media, after being 'reassured that competition … will remain strong'
Google I/O: Android 12 Boasts Major Redesign
Google I/O: With few hardware (Pixel etc) announcements, Google confirms massive redesign for Android 12, including new look and feel
IFA 2021: Berlin Show Cancelled Amid Coronavirus Vaccine Worry
IFA consumer trade show to be held in Berlin in September has been cancelled, with organisers citing concern about the vaccine rollout
US Senate Democrats Propose $52 Billion For US Chip Production
Democrat leader in the US Senate revises legislation to approve $52 billion plan to ramp up US semiconductor manufacturing
BT Targets Hull To Begin Removal Of Huawei Kit – Report
BT begins program to remove Huawei equipment from its 4G and 5G mobile network, with Hull in East Yorkshire being the first location
Price For Microsoft Surface Duo Slashed In US
Another Microsoft phone failure? Seven months after Redmond's dual screen smartphone device went on sale, and prices are being halved
Most Users Opt Out Of iOS App Tracking – Flurry Analytics
Expected blow for advertising industry, as new figures show a clear majority of people refuse to allow iOS apps to gather tracking data
US Removes Xiaomi From DoD Blacklist
Shares in Xiaomi rally after US DoD removes Trump's blacklisting of Chinese smartphone maker over alleged ties to the Chinese military
Apple Sued Over Excessive App Store Charges
More legal headaches. Landmark class action lawsuit filed in the UK against Apple, over its 'excessive and unlawful' fees for its App Store
Chip Shortage To Last A Few Years, Warns Michael Dell
Head of one of the world's largest PC makers has warned the ongoing silicon shortage is likely to persist for several years
Twitter Tests ‘Tip Jar’ Payments Feature
Twitter begins limited testing of 'Tip Jar' feature for sending money to other accounts, as users raise ethical and privacy questions
Apple Developing Foldable iPhone For 2023 – Report
Noted Apple analyst predicts Apple will launch a foldable iPhone in 2023, as next innovation for high-end smartphones after 5G
Android ‘Exposes’ Covid-19 Contact Tracing Data
Android devices expose contact tracing data to hundreds of third-party apps, finds analysis of 'privacy-first' Apple-Google framework
EU Charges Apple Over App Store ‘Monopoly’
European Commission says Apple breaches EU competition law by levelling 'high' fees on music streaming services while promoting its own competing app
Chip Shortage Will Not End Soon, Forrester Warns
Analyst house Forrester warns global shortage of semiconductors is not going to end any time soon due to fabless chip manufacturing trends, supply hoarding
Apple Profits Double As Users Upgrade To 5G iPhones
Apple reaps reward from strong spending on Macs, apps and iPads during lockdown, coupled with people upgrading to 5G iPhones
Taiwan Dashes EU Hopes Of Advanced Chip Production In Europe
EU setback. Taiwanese government minister rejects EU plan, and points to TSMC decision to focus chip expansion in Taiwan, not Europe
Apple To Build $1 Billion Campus In North Carolina
As part of a $430 billion investment over five years in the US, Apple is to build a new campus for AI research and software engineering
Apple iOS Update With Tracking Consent Prompts Mixed Reaction
Apple's release of its iOS 14.5 update this week requires app developers to ask user permission to track their activity online
Foxconn Scales Back $10bn Wisconsin Factory
Taiwanese manufacturing giant Foxconn dramatically scales back US factory that was heavily touted by former President Donald Trump
Malware From Google Play Store Infects 700,000 Users
Etinu malware bypasses Google's security protections, infects 700,000 Android users to make unauthorised purchases before being removed
Massive ‘Parcel Delivery’ SMS Scam Campaign Hits UK
Millions of scam text messages hit UK mobile phones pretending to be from parcel delivery firms, but in reality spreading banking malware Flubot
Damaging Week For Apple, Google In Senate Hearings
App makers and others testify against the dominance of Apple and Google in US Senate antitrust hearing on Wednesday
Telephone Landline Usage In ‘Terminal Decline’, Uswitch Finds
As usage of WhatsApp, Zoom etc soars, the humble telephone landline declines, with 26 percent not even bothering to connect a handset
Signal Hacks Cellebrite Phone Hacking Kit
Sweet revenge? Signal said it has hacked the phone hacking kit from Cellebrite, used by law enforcement to access mobile devices
One In Six Android Phones In Developing Markets Infected
Mobile specialist Upstream warns large percentage of Android phones in developing markets infected with malware, due to a number of reasons
Dutch Report Flagged Huawei Monitoring Of KPN Concerns – Report
Report ten years ago from Capgemini reportedly warned that Huawei may be able to monitor calls made by KPN's 6.5 million users
Apple Unveils AirTag, Apple TV 4K, Purple iPhone 12
Apple's Spring Loaded event reveals AirTag, Apple 4K TV, as well as purple iPhone 12. Other announcements include a refresh of iPad Pro and iMac range,
Rural Mobile Phone Masts To Be Heightened By 20 Percent
Government efforts to tackle rural not spots will see mobile phone masts being up to five metres taller than existing rules