Operators wary about hiking prices, as UK customers offered options to exit mobile contracts

UK mobile users could not have had it better, as the communications regulator Ofcom is set to alter the general conditions that will dissuade operators from indulging in any mid-contract price hikes. The attitude of the operators is expected to be toned down a lot with Ofcom’s proposed approach, which will be favorable to general users by allowing them to exit their existing contracts under certain conditions.

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Samsung leads the U.S. smartphone market with Apple close on its heels

In spite of the recent spat and the expensive $1.05 billion court case that went in Apple’s favor in the U.S., the iPhone maker is still trailing behind Samsung in mobile sales in the country.
Following behind these two behemoths are the others like HTC, Motorola, and LG who are all lagging with decreased sales. There is a similar situation in the platform area as well. Android is the most preferred operating system with iOS reluctantly settling for the second place.

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Ubuntu smartphone – what you need to know about the new Android competitor in town

The mobile ecosystem is currently dominated by two operating systems created by two completely different companies that attacked this particular niche for different reasons, while more traditional players are scrambling to catch up. Is there space for the Ubuntu smartphone in this complex mobile environment?

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Sprint As You Go is a prepaid service launching on January 25

There is an emerging trend among U.S. carriers that seems to point toward the decline of the traditional postpaid contract. T-Mobile, for one, is now pushing its Value Plans, thereby removing the subsidized cost of the phone from the monthly bill. Now we have a new pre-paid offering from Sprint, which will reportedly launch on January 25th, according to sources cited by Android Police.

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YouTube mobile app will soon be able to stream to newest generation of TVs

The best way to currently stream YouTube videos to a TV is by using more hardware. There are apps on the Xbox 360, Google TV, and others that are capable of streaming YouTube content to your TV. Some can even plug their computers or smartphones into the TV via HDMI and stream that way. This one extra piece of hardware may have become too tedious though.

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FTC will not bring charges against Google in antitrust investigation

Earlier today, the FTC wrapped up a 19-month investigation of Google’s business practices (which we have covered extensively), agreeing not to bring charges against the company. There is a catch, however.
While the FTC voted 5-0 to end the investigation into Google’s search without further action, it was slightly harsher with regard to patents. The vote was 4-1 to end the investigation, but with a consent decree from Google. Google will make two changes it describes as voluntary, though they will be enforced by the FTC:

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Samsung Galaxy Camera Android 4.1.2 update is now rolling out

The Samsung Galaxy Camera hasn’t been out the door very long and yet Samsung has already confirmed it is getting an upgrade to Android 4.1.2.
Before you get too excited, remember that this update is a minor one. Beyond bug fixes and speed improvements there probably isn’t much new here from the sounds of it, but it is confirmed to at least offer one noticeable improvement in the form of an updated Gallery App.

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WhatsApp hits record high of 18 billion processed messages on NY’s eve

Whether you sport an Android smartphone or devices from other camps — even RIM’s BlackBerry — chances are you have WhatsApp Messenger installed to communicate with friends and family members, as well as sending the odd pictures and video.

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Court finds Amazon’s Appstore innocent of false advertising

More news from the legal front-lines, this time regarding Apple’s claim that Amazon’s use of the term “Appstore” constitutes false advertising.
Having originally tried to sue Amazon over the use of the name Appstore, Apple recently threw another lawsuit onto the pile by claiming that the company is also guilty of false advertising. Not false advertising in the sense of misselling items to consumers, no no. Apple claimed that by using the term Appstore in their titles, Amazon had caused irreparable harm to Apple’s own App Store brand.

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LTE-enabled HTC One SV goes on sale at Clove UK for £350 unlocked

LTE connectivity and budget friendliness don’t usually go hand in hand, but every rule has (at least) an exception, right? For this particular one, the HTC One SV seems to be the exception, although 4G LTE is still not the most useful feature in many countries, while the device’s price can be considered low only by some standards.

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