Google’s Wallet Runs into Problems

DOJ Sets Sights on Verizon, M-Health Innovation, and 700,000 Daily Android Activations

December 21, 2011 by Acton788312 Leave a Comment

Verizon's Big Spectrum Deals Spark DOJ Antitrust Probe
Over the last month, the Dose has been keeping tabs on Verizon's purchases of Advanced Wireless Spectrum (AWS), including a $3.6-billion deal with "SpectrumCo" and a $315-million deal with Cox Communications. The fact that both deals were "pending government approval" didn't raise any major flags when the stories originally broke, but now it turns out that approval will not be as promptly forthcoming as initially assumed. The Justice Department has opened investigations into whether the deals concentrate too much control of the limited available spectrum into the hands of one company and whether the cooperation deals between Verizon and the cable companies constitute violations of antitrust law.

Qualcomm, Verizon, Zephyr Technology Partner on M-Health Monitoring
Patients with congestive heart failure in rural Arizona are receiving the latest innovation in mobile health technology: a Motorola Droid X, loaded with software to help monitor, record and report health issues to their doctors. The device will be able to take readings from a variety of medical equipment, such as wireless blood pressure cuffs and pulse oximeters, and report the data to doctors in hospitals. The project is aimed at helping patients without ready access to medical facilities get better care, while cutting down on unnecessary and costly physician visits.

Filed Under: Android, Google, m-health, Mobile, Mobile Innovation Tagged With: AT&T, Verizon

Uncle Sam’s New Focus on "Socialytics," Verizon Reaches A 4G Milestone, and Angry Birds Theme Parks

December 15, 2011 by Acton788312 Leave a Comment

2011: The Year Mobile Took Over the World
Check out this awesome video from MobileFuture. It recaps the the major trends in the mobile sector over the past year and features some predictions about what's coming. Some highlights from the video: 1 billion apps are downloaded globally each month, and US mobile data demand is predicted to rise a whopping 1,800% in the next four years. Short, smart, worth watching.

US Government to Increase Emphasis on Connecting With Citizens Via Social Media
2011 has seen the emergence of mobile as a tech industry powerhouse, and social media has played a huge role in this growth. According to a report from IDC Government Insights (an IT consulting firm for the US government), 2012 will feature a much greater focus on connecting the government to the American people, including the mobilization (no pun intended) of social media analytics, or "socialytics," as a way to help civilian governments improve quality-of-life issues such as human services and economic growth.

Galaxy Nexus Finally Hits Verizon Stores
The wait is finally over. Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, the flagship phone for Android 4.0 "Ice Cream Sandwich," is finally available from Verizon in the US. It comes in at a pricey $299 with a contract update, but seeing as this phone is the hottest Android device currently on the market, that may just be worth it. Check out this report from Gigaom, which features a video detailing all the specs for the Galaxy Nexus and the Ice Cream Sandwich upgrade.

Filed Under: analytics, Android, Ice Cream Sandwich Tagged With: 4g, Samsung, Verizon

Weight Watchers Barcode Scanner U.S.

December 14, 2011 by mobadmin Leave a Comment

The Client
Weight Watchers International Inc. is the world’s leading weight-loss management program operating through a network of company-owned and franchise organizations.

Filed Under: Android, Healthcare Tagged With: ios, Smartphone

Mobile Payments, Starbucks and Carrier IQ Update

December 7, 2011 by mobadmin

Mobile Payments Aren't Always Mobile

A comScore report found that 56 percent of mobile users prefer to shop while in their house. Most of this m-commerce traffic comes from tablets. Common purchases are digital items such as songs, eBooks and magazines. Two-thirds of mobile shoppers said that they also buy daily deals, gift certificates, electronics and clothing. Only 42 percent said they did their shopping while at random places or at work. Here are more mobile trends from JiWire.

The Starbucks Mobile Experience
Starbucks is doing mobile payments right. They have 3 million mobile transactions a month and 26 million since January of this year. More than 9,000 Starbucks locations accept payments using their app. Only 5 percent of gift-card transactions are done with the app, but the trend is growing.

Filed Under: Android, m-commerce Tagged With: starbucks, Verizon

Verizon’s Blocks Google Wallet, Releases New Devices, While Samsung Wins a Legal Victory over Apple, and More

December 6, 2011 by Acton788312

Verizon To Release New Tablets, Smartphones in Time for Holiday Season
Verizon is slated to release several new devices in the upcoming weeks, including hotly anticipated smartphones and tablets from Samsung and Motorola.

Motorola's Droid 4 is set to be released on December 8. It is the latest in the popular line of Motorola Droid smartphones, following on the heels of the Droid RAZR. The Droid 4 comes equipped with 4G LTE capabilities as well as a sliding full-QWERTY keyboard.
Samsung's Galaxy Nexus, which includes an NFC chip, is coming on December 9. The device has been one of the most sought-after releases of the season, after the phenomenal success of earlier Samsung devices like the Galaxy S II.
Motorola's new 4G LTE tablet, the XYboard, will be released in Verizon stores sometime later this month. As the MobileDose team reported in November, the tablet has already been released in Europe as the Xoom 2. It is available as an 8.2 inch and a 10.1 inch tablet.

Samsung Wins Big Over Apple in Patent War

Last week a California judge denied Apple's request for a preliminary injunction against Samsung, which means that the Korean company will continue to be allowed to sell 3 of its popular Galaxy smartphones in the US. A similar legal victory is expected in a lawsuit Apple has brought against Samsung in France, and the handset maker has now announced that it has secured $200 million in funding for its legal battles against Apple (although the source doesn't mention from where). These victories are both only for preliminary injunctions, and the two companies are currently involved in over 20 legal disputes in 10 countries, so Samsung still has a long way to go before its out of the legal woods.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Droid, Galaxy, tablets, Yahoo Tagged With: 4g, Motorola, NFC, Patent, Samsung, Verizon

Disabling Carrier IQ, Google’s Indoor Mapping Plans, and Verizon Spends Big on New Spectrum

December 2, 2011 by Acton788312

How To Guide For Disabling Carrier IQ Rootkit
The MobileDose team has been covering the Carrier IQ keylogging scandal all week. In case you've missed it, Carrier IQ is a hidden app included in the firmware for millions of smartphones and tablets running Android and iOS, that can record keytaps, in what is possibly a gigantic breach of US wiretapping law. Here is a how to guide for finding and neutralizing Carrier IQ on both iOS and Android devices, including a link to a search app from developer who originally discovered the problem, Trevor Eckhart. Be aware, this fix is not a guarantee, and it is likely that carriers will address the problem in the near future, considering the ever increasing scale of this scandal. Thanks to Rob Goff for the link.

Google's Newest Mapping Venture: Google Indoor Maps
Google has begun the latest step in its nefarious plan for world mapping domination: it is encouraging users to add interior floor plans to Google Maps, attempting to capitalize on crowdsourcing to create a map of the world so complete, even grandmothers will never be able to get lost in the mall again! Potential uses for the new feature include mapping large commercial spaces like malls, arenas, and museums, but also more private establishments such as college campuses or large office buildings.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, Google, LTE Tagged With: 4g, ios, Verizon

Security Concerns, eBook Growth, and the Future of Mobile Gaming

December 1, 2011 by Acton788312

Serious Security Concerns Raised for Smartphones

Researchers from the North Carolina State University have uncovered vulnerabilities in the standard configurations of popular smartphone models from Samsung, HTC, and Motorola, finding that they didn't "properly protect privileged permissions from untrusted applications." The findings outline how an untrusted application could exploit these vulnerabilities to send SMS messages, record phone conversations, and even wipe all user data without a user's permission.
Yesterday, the MobileDose team reported on the Carrier IQ keylogger story, which alleges that up to 140 million smartphones have secret keylogging software installed on them, possibly one of the largest ever violations of US wiretapping law. Here is a Forbes.com article that addresses the legal ramifications of the allegations against Carrier IQ.
Following in the wake of the initial Carrier IQ story, it has been discovered that Carrier IQ may also be compromising millions of iOS devices. It seems that Apple devices are not as vulnerable as Android devices have been found to be, but this newest finding is certain to add to the growing furor caused by the Carrier IQ security breach.

eBooks Still Going Strong, Expected to Reach $10 Billion by 2016

Amazon has added almost 40,000 new Spanish and Italian language eBooks to its Kindle Store, bringing the total number of eBooks available from the online book seller to almost 1 million and counting. Also, Juniper.com released a report today that projects the growth of eBook sales, driven by steady growth in the eReader market, to reach $10 billion in revenue by 2016.

Filed Under: Android, Apple, eBooks, HTC, Kindle, m-Security Tagged With: amazon, Motorola, Samsung

Google Releases, Nokia’s Windows 8 Tablet, and More MobileDose

November 17, 2011 by Acton788312

Google Re-Releases iOS Gmail App: This Time it Works! (Supposedly)
Two weeks ago, Google released the long awaited Gmail app for iOS, but pulled it almost immediately due to a missed bug. Today, Google has re-released a fully functioning version of the app, so all you iPhone and iPad users, feel free to Gmail away on your very own native app!

Global Android Market Share Tops 50%
According to a new research report by Gartner, Android run devices accounted for a whopping 52.5% of all smartphones sold in the 3rd quarter, more than double Android's market share in the same quarter of last year. Total smartphone sales also grew 42% over last year. Here is the full report.

Filed Under: Android, Google, Microsoft, Nokia, tablets Tagged With: ios

Barnes & Noble Files DOJ Complaint Against Microsoft

November 10, 2011 by rstedman

Book retailer and e-reader maker Barnes & Noble has filed a complaint with the Department of Justice, accusing Microsoft of filing and threatening to file frivolous lawsuits in an effort to bully competitors into paying royalties on Android devices. Microsoft claims Android OS infringes on a number of Windows related patents, and the company has engaged in a legal proxy war with Google, rather than face the search engine giant directly.

Filed Under: Android, Google, Microsoft Tagged With: lawsuit, Patent