To better compete in the mobile space, HP plans to adopt Google’s Android operating system for a number of upcoming mobile devices. According to two sources familiar with the matter, the company’s first scheduled Android device will be a high-end tablet featuring NVIDIA’s new mobile Tegra 4 chip, announced at CES in January. The move marks a significant win for Google, adding a major partner to the Android ecosystem. Continue reading Good News for Google: HP Turns to Android for Mobile Devices

Apple CEO Tim Cook gave the keynote address at the Goldman Sachs Technology and Internet conference on Tuesday and indicated that the Apple ecosystem is still growing. He explained that Apple has now paid out $8 billion to developers, up $1 billion from earlier this year. Cook also discussed the company’s continued focus on retail, competition in the smartphone sector, the need for tablets of varied sizes and the importance of software and services. Continue reading Tim Cook on Expansion of Retail and the Apple Ecosystem

Will this actually be the year during which mobile payments take off? “Both Gartner and Forrester have made strong predictions of mobile growth, with Forrester recently saying that the U.S. mobile payments market will hit $90 billion by 2017, a 48 percent compound annual growth rate from the $12.8 billion spent in 2012,” reports ReadWrite. The article highlights four indicators that suggest this might really happen. Continue reading Commerce: Will 2013 Finally Be the Year of Mobile Payments?

BI Intelligence reviewed year-end data to identify anticipated trends in the mobile industry for the upcoming year. Research analyst Alex Cocotas published a slide deck for “The Year Ahead in Mobile,” which notes that more than 2.5 billion people were online by the end of 2012 (about 35 percent of the global population). Mobile currently accounts for 15 percent of worldwide Internet traffic, and is expected to top 25 percent by the end of 2013. Continue reading BI Forecast Predicts Mobile Growth, but Sees Changes Ahead

“It’s a compelling proposition: all the power and application compatibility of a laptop running a proper desktop operating system, all the portability and convenience of a tablet, all mixed together in one package,” writes Engadget in its in-depth review of the Microsoft Surface Pro. But there were some drawbacks with the previous Surface for Windows RT. Chief among them: app selection. Will the Surface Pro be different? Continue reading Microsoft Hopes to Merge Laptop and Tablet with Surface Pro

Zynga social game “FarmVille” is getting its own half-hour animated TV series. The news follows Rovio’s announcement that it plans to release short, animated episodes this spring based on its popular “Angry Birds” game characters. “Together, the shows will test whether addictive video games with thin plots can translate into enjoyable programming for children,” suggests Quartz. Continue reading Two Popular Video Games Announce Plans for Animated Shows

MIT has launched the new “Initiative for the Digital Economy” to address the impact of existing and emerging digital technologies. The initiative’s three primary objectives are to analyze the potential of digital technologies to change businesses, the economy, and society; to engage students and faculty in programs related to the digital revolution; and to make practical recommendations to industry leaders and policymakers regarding the digital economy. Continue reading MIT Initiative Explores Impact of Emerging Digital Economy

Cisco predicts smartphones and tablets will account for three times more data consumption than desktops by 2017. The U.S. currently consumes significantly more data than any other nation — a trend Cisco expects to continue. However, consumers in Asia are expected to collectively pass North America. Cisco also predicts the average mobile user will consume 10 hours of video, 15 hours of audio, download 15 apps and take part in five video calls per month. Continue reading Cisco Forecast: Mobile Devices to Outnumber Humans by 2017

Google is changing AdWords to eliminate mobile-only campaigns after Wall Street critics began questioning poor mobile cost-per-click numbers. All campaigns will now include desktop as well as mobile, while advertisers will not be able to target specific devices (like tablet-only campaigns, for example). Advertisers can adjust their preferences to prioritize mobile much more than desktop or desktop much more than mobile, but cannot choose only one. Continue reading Google Updates AdWords for Desktop and Mobile Advertising

Entrepreneur Yoarv Lorch’s newest enterprise hopes to disrupt what he views as an antiquated system of book sales. Total Boox offers book payments by the page, rather than paying for the entire book up front. Lorch argues people often purchase a book on a whim and then realize they do not like it after a few pages. When books had to deal with publishing and distribution costs the advanced payment method made sense, but may not in the world of e-books. Continue reading Total Boox Offers New Pay-As-You-Go E-Book Reading Service

Facebook acquired Instagram in part because Instagram’s success on mobile challenged Facebook’s subpar mobile application. The purchase helped improve Facebook’s mobile presence, and now the social network has helped redesign Instagram to serve desktop audiences with the launch of a full newsfeed for browsers. Now Instagram joins Facebook as a complete Web entity. Continue reading Instagram Launches Full Image Feed for Desktop Browsers

The holiday season didn’t go as well as Nintendo had hoped. “Nintendo Co. slashed its sales outlook in the wake of disappointing holiday demand for its new Wii U videogame console, which it had been banking on to rekindle consumer excitement,” reports the Wall Street Journal. Wii U was launched last November and was Nintendo’s first new videogame console in six years. Continue reading Nintendo Struggles with Wii U, Lowers Sales Projections

Instead of using the term “mobile commerce,” analytics provider Flurry describes “App & Mortar” trends in its new report about the rise in smartphone shopping. “This report confirms what we already knew about mobile commerce, but takes it a step further by figuring out who is benefiting the most right now from the trend. Surprisingly, it’s physical retailers,” according to AllThingsD. Continue reading App & Mortar Economy: New Battle for Consumer Relationships

It is now illegal for U.S. customers to unlock phones to enable them to work on different networks. “The U.S. Copyright Office is no longer granting unlocking an exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The DMCA makes it illegal to ‘circumvent a technological measure that effectively controls access’ to copyrighted material, in this case software embedded in phones that controls carrier access,” explains Wired. Continue reading U.S. Copyright Office Says it is Illegal to Unlock Phones

In his review of the new BlackBerry Z10, personal-tech columnist David Pogue reverses his earlier suggestion that Research In Motion’s smartphone was doomed. While the once dominant BlackBerry has dropped to a single-digit percentage of the market and the company’s stock has plummeted, Pogue surprisingly notes that the new phone is “lovely, fast and efficient, bristling with fresh, useful ideas.” Continue reading RIM Changes its Name, Unveils Surprising BlackBerry Z10