Mobile operating systems - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• iOS fastest growing mobile operating system in 2013

  Apple iOS is the fastest growing mobile operating system in 2013, with iPhone users growing from 14 per cent of worldwide market share in Q1, 2013 to 19 per cent in Q3, according to GlobalWebIndex.

• RIM drastically cuts PlayBook sales target, report says

  RIM has cut its sales target for PlayBook tablets in the second quarter to one-third of the original estimate, according to Taiwan-based suppliers cited in a report.

• Nokia reveals details of Symbian deal with Accenture

  Nokia said on Wednesday it has finalized an agreement with Accenture to develop the Symbian mobile OS as the company retrenches in a competitive mobile device market.

• Cellcrypt releases voice encryption app for Android

  The company Cellcrypt released an application on Tuesday for mobile phones running Android that encrypts voice calls, addressing increasing concern that voice traffic over cellular networks could be intercepted with off-the-shelf equipment.

• Google pulls more malware from Android Market

  Google removed more malware-infected applications from its Android Market last week, according to a security researcher who reported the rogue software to the company.

• How to manage BlackBerry application permissions

  Research In Motion's (RIM) BlackBerry smartphone OS is known for security, and that's for good reason. RIM designed the mobile OS with security in mind from the start, and it shows; the BlackBerry OS offers a number of ways for smartphone owners and IT administrators to control how mobile applications interact with your device and all of the data stored on it.

• ASUS may put Win 8 in next Eee Pad Transformer tablet

  Let the Windows 8 hardware rumors begin.

• The 5 best features in Apple's iOS 5

  Earlier this week at its Worldwide Developers Conference (WWDC), Apple finally offered up a look at iOS 5, the planned update to the company's mobile OS. Although it wont be out until this fall -- Apple isn't yet saying exactly when -- iOS 5 promises to deliver much-needed changes to the OS, which is used on the iPhone, iPad and iPod touch.

• Photon smartphone heads list of 10 Motorola devices coming to Sprint

  Sprint's renewed partnership with Motorola, announced today, will result in more than 10 smartphones and tablets for sale in 2011, including Motorola's first WiMax phone for Sprint, the Photon 4G.

• 1B smartphones to ship in 2015, IDC says

  Nearly 1 billion smartphones will be shipped globally in 2015, almost double the amount for all of 2011, as millions of people seek out the more powerful mobile phones that are dropping in price, market research firm IDC said.

• Cheaper Windows phones key to Nokia's turnaround

  Nokia CEO Stephen Elop used his keynote at the Open Mobile Summit in London Thursday to explain, again, why the company chose the Windows Phone OS for its smartphones and insisted during a question-and-answer session that, despite persistent rumors to the contrary, the company is not for sale.

• Verizon confirms sales of its Galaxy S II 'superphone' start in July

  Verizon Wireless Wednesday confirmed that it plans to start selling the Samsung Galaxy S II "superphone" sometime in July, making it one of several U.S. carriers that are expected to sell the device.

• Major damages sought in Oracle-Google patent dispute

  A new document in a year-old patent lawsuit filed by Oracle against Google over Android intellectual property suggests Oracle could be seeking huge damages from Google.

• How big is Microsoft gambling with Windows 8?

  Analysts parsing what Microsoft revealed of Windows 8 earlier this week are split today on how big the company's gambling with its operating system cash cow, some saying the bet was for the farm, while others said it was the best move Microsoft could make.

• Hack gets MeeGo onto Nook Color, runs seriously well

  The Nook Color getting hacked isn't exactly new -- there are plenty of Nook Color hacks now, from installing different versions of Android to improving battery life or storage space. It's pretty exciting, then, when someone tests out a totally different OS, that also looks quite impressive on the Barnes & Noble e-reader.