HTC patents a dual-screen slider phone that you likely won't see

While HTC is certainly willing to accommodate multiple screen sizes and form factors with its phones, we suspect that some of its explorations won't go beyond the lab. If you'd like an example, see the company's newly obtained patent for a dual-screen slider design. Oh, it's clever: the mechanism gracefully moves a hidden second screen into place, tilting the unfolded arrangement to form one united display area. Like with other dual-screen patents, we're skeptical simply because of market realities. HTC's rocky financial position doesn't give it much room to take risks, and dual-screen phones need special software support that often makes them non-starters -- just ask any Kyocera Echo owner how that developer program is panning out. As a result, it may be more accurate to call the patent a vision of what might have been than any kind of roadmap.

Source: USPTO

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By: Unknown On 11:52 AM

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Telus reportedly in talks to buy Mobilicity, spectrum likely to be the prize

WIND Mobile, Mobilicity & Public Mobile withdraw from Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association

CWTA has become voice of Big Three telcos at expense of consumers and new entrant mobile service providers

TORONTO, April 10, 2013 /CNW/ - After careful consideration, WIND Mobile, Public Mobile and Mobilicity today announced their withdrawal from the Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association (CWTA).

The three mobile service providers say the move is a direct result of their long-standing, mounting frustration with the CWTA's consistent bias in favour of Rogers, Bell and TELUS on a wide variety of issues. From this point, the CWTA does not, and cannot claim to, speak on behalf of the Canadian mobile wireless sector.

"When we were first approached by the CWTA, we were promised clear and fair representation on issues of true industry alignment," said Simon Lockie, Chief Regulatory Officer for WIND Mobile. "But despite making our objections and concerns abundantly clear on numerous occasions, the CWTA has repeatedly failed to honour this promise, leaving us no alternative but to withdraw."

"It has been evident for quite some time that, rather than being a true industry association which represents the views of all players regardless of size, the CWTA has instead largely been an advocate for Rogers, TELUS and Bell, and often directly contrary to the interests of new entrant wireless carriers," said Bob Boron, General Counsel and Senior Vice-President, Legal & Regulatory Affairs for Public Mobile.

"We have spent the better part of three years repeatedly voicing our opposition to the CWTA on a wide range of matters to the point of issuing a press release in January 2011 that publically expressed our dissent on the CWTA's position on wireless consumer protection," said Gary Wong, Director of Legal Affairs for Mobilicity. "There seems to be a blatant disregard of the new entrants in favour of acting in the best interests of the Big Three carriers and it is unacceptable."

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By: Unknown On 9:51 PM

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HTC's M4 and G2 Androids likely to launch after the M7

Now that we know the M7 is alive and well, we can look at the other goodies that HTC is going to bring us this year. According to the pretty reliable @evleaks, two more Android phones will be launched at some point after the M7's pre-MWC debut: a fairly powerful M4 and a low-end G2 (not to be confused with the T-Mobile G2). The former's highlights are its 4.3-inch 720p display (same as the 8X's), a 1.2GHz dual-core Snapdragon chip, a whopping 13-megapixel F2.0 camera (apparently the same as the M7's) and optional LTE. On the other hand, the G2 will pack a more modest 3.5-inch 480 x 320 screen, a 1GHz processor and a 5-megapixel camera, so it's very much just a slight upgrade from the Desire C which also runs Ice Cream Sandwich -- unlike the beefier M4 with Jelly Bean. The same leakster reckons we won't be seeing these two devices at MWC, but we'll keep an eye out just in case.
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Source: Unwired View

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By: Unknown On 8:48 PM

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Dual OS phone with Android and desktop Ubuntu not likely to arrive before 2014

It's beautiful. It even works. But if there's a downside to the notion of an Android phone that runs full-blown desktop Ubuntu when docked to a big screen and keyboard, it's the need for patience. Nearly a year after the first announcement, we've had an update from one of the key project leads, Richard Collins, to the effect that work on a converged Ubuntu for Android device is running on schedule, but won't culminate in an actual product until shortly after the launch of the first Ubuntu-only smartphone:

"We are planning to very quickly follow our initial launch [of an Ubuntu-only handset] with the converged device which will have high-performing system components that will allow Ubuntu to run as a desktop OS when docked."

Considering that the first Ubuntu smartphone isn't expected until early 2014, pending agreements with manufacturer and carrier partners, we could be looking at another 12-month wait. Still, the company probably wouldn't flesh out its roadmap like this unless things were going well behind the scenes. It's also possible that Canonical will release early builds of the dual OS for us to try -- just like it's going to cater for experimental GNex owners next month. In fact, Collins told us that we "might not have much longer to wait" before we see something new on Ubuntu for Android, even if it isn't a finished product. Read our full interview with him right here.

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By: Dilusha On 11:34 AM

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