Profits sink at HTC on delay of new HTC One smartphone

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HTC, the Taiwan-based smartphone maker whose North American operations are located in the Seattle area, posted weak earnings today driven in part by the delayed launch of the HTC One. The company’s net income fell to $2.8 million, the sixth straight decline and a 98 percent drop, reports Bloomberg. HTC delayed the launch of its… Read More…

‘Bezos Beep’ could replace the smartphone bump for mobile content sharing

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Companies including Samsung have been promoting the practice of sharing content by bumping two devices together — transmitting photos, videos and other files from phone to phone using Near Field Communications. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos has a different plan. Let’s call it the Bezos Beep. A newly published patent application, listing the Amazon CEO as sole… Read More…

MLB now allowing 13 teams to accept Apple Passbook; Safeco Field still waiting

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Major League Baseball is one of the most tech-savvy professional sports leagues around and that became more evident today as 13 teams will now be accepting mobile tickets using Apple’s Passbook app. Passbook is an iOS app that lets you electronically store things like tickets, coupons and gift cards. This season, which kicks off in April,… Read More…

Nokia dethroned as Samsung takes top spot for 2012 worldwide cellphone shipments

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Step down, Nokia. There’s a new king of the cellphone world. For the first time in 14 years, Nokia did not finish first in worldwide cellphone shipments. According to analytics provider IHS, Samsung is expected to finish at the top for the first time ever, accounting for 29 percent of phone shipments this year, up… Read More…

Driver distractions: Study shows how smartphones keep our eyes off the road

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While smartphones are helping us stay connected like we’ve never been before, it’s quickly becoming a big problem for driving distracted. In an interesting study done by the auto industry’s top lobbying group, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, 5,000 car owners were polled about their driving habits and the numbers reiterate the fact that our increasing… Read More…

The people’s champ: Verizon is most favorable carrier

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Remember those “Can you hear me now?” Verizon commercials? Turns out there’s actually some truth to those messages. The people have spoken and Verizon is the most favorable cell phone carrier in the nation based on an annual Consumer Reports survey of 63,253 subscribers around the country. Out of the four big carriers, Verizon led the way… Read More…

Romotive unveils new $150 smartphone-controlled robot, lands $5M from Sequoia, others

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Romotive today is unveiling its next-generation smartphone-controlled robot, a $150 device that the company says is faster and “more sleekly designed” than earlier versions. It’s also announcing $5 million in funding from Sequoia Capital, Crunchfund, Ron Conway’s SV Angel and others. Incubated at TechStars Seattle, Romotive moved to Las Vegas shortly after the program concluded as… Read More…

Startup’s iPhone-powered landmine detector could help save lives, limbs and land

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Entrepreneurs are always trying to avoid landmines. But here’s a startup that’s actively seeking them out — literally. Red Lotus Technologies, a Seattle and San Francisco upstart led by operations manager Robin Hibbs Rosenberg and engineer Lahiru Jayatilaka, has developed a new system to better pinpoint landmines in former war-torn nations like Cambodia and Angola. The landmine… Read More…

Chart: China overtakes U.S. for smartphone crown

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Smartphones are nearly everywhere in the U.S., but the number one market for smartphone shipments is now China, according to a report out today by IDC. China will account for 26.5 percent of all smartphone shipments this year, compared to 17.8 percent for the United States. “Looking ahead, the PRC smartphone market will continue to… Read More…

Ask Andru: How do I stop iPhoto from opening when I plug in my iPhone?

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Apple tries to make it easy to use all of its products together harmoniously, but there are times where it might get in the way. Today we received a question that asks how to stop iPhoto from opening automatically whenever an iPhone is plugged in, and that’s exactly the kind of synergy that can get… Read More…