Motorola rulings put Google and Microsoft on a collision course over Android

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Microsoft has so far been waging its patent battle against Android indirectly, striking deals and going to court with makers of Android devices, not challenging Google itself. But it’s getting harder and harder for the two companies to avoid a direct fight over the issue. Here’s why. Authorities in China this weekend gave Google the… Read More…

Microsoft stuck behind Samsung Bada in smartphone sales

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Microsoft is aiming to make Windows Phone a strong No. 3 in the smartphone market, behind Android and iPhone, but first it has a different rival to overcome: Samsung’s Bada smartphone operating system. Not to mention RIM and Symbian. The Redmond company remained in sixth place in smartphone operating system sales in the first quarter,… Read More…

LinkedIn’s new app is a Windows Phone showcase

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LinkedIn finally released its first official app for Windows Phone this week. It’s an important addition to Microsoft’s catalog of apps, particularly as the Redmond company tries to make inroads with business users. More than that, it’s a well-designed app that is better, in some ways, than its counterparts on iPhone and Android. The Windows… Read More…

iHear unveils ‘social news narrator’ on Android, an app for multitasking news hounds

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A few weeks ago on the GeekWire podcast, we featured a new iPhone app called Snackr that tuned into a user’s personal social networks in order to deliver a customized audio news report, told in the charming voice of a British gentleman. Now, Seattle upstart iHear Network is unveiling a similar offering, launching what it’s… Read More…

Microsoft in Android patent licensing deal with Pegatron

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Microsoft just announced another patent licensing agreement with a maker of Android and Chrome devices, Pegatron Corp., making more headway with its claims that the Google operating systems violate its intellectual property. The Redmond company says it now has licensing deals with four of the top five original design manufacturers in Taiwan, and has agreements… Read More…

Comments of the week: Will this phone really take off?

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The best comments, quotes, and random zingers we heard this week… “Do you have to turn off *this* phone during takeoff and landing?” –GeekWire reader Lawrence Lam commenting on news that aerospace giant Boeing plans to develop a new phone based on the Android operating system. “I hope the phone takes off. Pun intended.”–GeekWire reader… Read More…

A Boeing phone: Aerospace giant making Android device

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Boeing is jumping into the smartphone business, developing a new mobile device  – but we probably won’t be buying this one at our local wireless store. The company is working on a secure communications device for the U.S. government defense and security market, a spokeswoman for the company confirmed this morning. The news was reported… Read More…

Forecast: Microsoft third in tablets through at least 2016

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The launch of Windows 8 later this year will give Microsoft a boost in the media tablet market, making Windows-based machines a viable competitor against Android tablets and the iPad, but the company is still destined to be the No. 3 player through at least 2016, according to new projections from the Gartner research firm… Read More…

HTC profits decline, overshadowed on both Android and Windows Phone

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HTC, the mobile phone giant with North American headquarters in Bellevue, posted a decline of 70 percent in profits this morning, after one of its top executives acknowledged that the company “dropped the ball” on its products in the fourth quarter. Here’s the bigger problem: In its competition with Apple, the company is at risk… Read More…

Microsoft uses cash to boost Windows Phone, but some app developers aren’t biting

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One of the big challenges Microsoft faces in mobile phones is that developers don’t have the time — or resources — to make new applications for the emerging Windows Phone platform. The software giant is using its checkbook to help jumpstart that ecosystem. But as it turns out, even that financial incentive doesn’t always work…. Read More…