Verizon Communications and AT&T are reported to be working on jointly putting up a breakup bid for Vodafone, according to FT’s Alphaville blog. Pegged at 40 percent premium or 240 pence a share, the deal values Vodafone at a staggering $245 billion, which would be the biggest M&A deal ever. (more…)Google+

During every event and every keynote, Google touts its Android operating system’s openness and explains that with no limitations, consumer’s benefit. While Android is more open than its competitors, it is closed compared to other open-source software such as Linux. Google makes the Android operating system source code available for any company or individual to use and customize to their liking. However, Google’s mobile suite — Gmail, the Android Market, Google Maps and more — is closed ...

Following widespread complaints of excessive battery drain thought to be related to a time zone bug, iPhone 4S owners are now beginning to draw attention to a new iPhone bug. According to multiple threads on Apple’s support forum, hundreds of iPhone 4S users are experiencing an audio echo during voice calls when using a wired headset. Users across multiple wireless carriers with various iPhone 4S models report that audio quality on voice calls often depletes after a period of time, and the voice of the ...

Images and details surrounding the unannounced Motorola DROID4 for Verizon Wireless have been published on the web, revealing a potential QWERTY-equipped counterpart for the just-unveiled Motorola DROID RAZR. The phone appears to carry the same shape as the new RAZR, however its slide-out keyboard makes it significantly thicker. Purported specs include a 4-inch display, 4G LTE compatibility for Verizon Wireless’ network, 1080p HD video capture support, an HDMI-out port, a secondary front-facing camera ...

Samsung on Thursday sent out invitations to a press conference in Hong Kong where it is expected to unveil its Galaxy Nexus smartphone alongside Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich. The South Korea-based electronics giant has not made direct reference to the new smartphone, however a recent teaser video published by the vendor left little doubt that the third-generation Nexus smartphone would be the star of the show. Samsung was initially supposed to unveil the device at its Unpacked event during the CTIA Enterpri...

Well, now that Apple has announced the iPhone 4S, there’s only one other flagship on the horizon that people are eagerly anticipating and that’s the Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Codenamed “Nexus Prime,” the Galaxy Nexus is a phone we have scooped on numerous occasions, and now we can paint a complete picture of the device thanks to new information from a trusted source. Here’s what Samsung and Google will unveil next Tuesday:Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich9mm thin4.65-inch 1280 x 720-pix...

It’s official: Apple’s brand new flagship handset, the iPhone 4S, is here. While confusion was sprinkled throughout the industry on exactly what Apple would announce, most seemed to agree that the iPhone 4S would be the smartphone that Apple ultimately would unveil. The iPhone 4S features an upgraded Apple A5 dual-core processor that is twice as fast at executing tasks, and it offers performance up to 7x better than the previous iPhone in terms of graphics. Even with the increased performance of t...

Isis, the joint venture between AT&T Mobility, T-Mobile USA and Verizon Wireless, announced today that HTC, LG, Motorola Mobility, RIM, Samsung Mobile and Sony Ericsson will introduce NFC-enabled mobile devices that implement Isis’ NFC and technology standards. For consumers who have or purchase smartphones that are not NFC-enabled, Isis is working with DeviceFidelity to add NFC functionality to the mobile device, ensuring a wide range of consumer choice.“Isis’ technology standards provide the direc...

Motorola may have big plans for the holiday season, at least according to a few new leaks from This is my next. Official press shots of the AT&T ATRIX 2 and its brand new Laptop Dock 100 accessory were spilled recently, as were details on an unannounced Motorola Spyder smartphone and two models of the XOOM 2 tablet. Last week we published an exclusive first look at the ATRIX 2 and now several of the phone’s specs have supposedly been confirmed. It is equipped with a 4.3-inch display with a qHD resol...

Apple on Monday released a new build of its iOS 5 beta software to developers. The new build — iOS 5 beta 3 — is available for all applicable iOS devices including the iPhone 4, iPhone 3GS, iPad 2, iPad, Apple TV, and third and fourth-generation iPod touch devices. Apple also released the third beta of iTunes 10.5 alongside the new iOS release of course, and it will be necessary for developers to install iTunes 10.5 beta 3 in order to load the new iOS beta on their devices. Hit the break for the full chan...

According to 9to5Mac, some Verizon iPad 2 units are being recalled to Apple, including devices mid-shipment. If an iPad 2 comes in with a specific serial number, Cupertino is asking that store employees ship the device back to Apple. Several customers who ordered the iPad 2 have also received “returned to sender” notices from FedEx, too. It’s currently unclear what was wrong with the batch, or if this will stall new shipments, but here’s to hoping that Apple and FedEx sort it out quick...

Just waiting for Motorola’s update to the extremely popular DROID lineup? The Motorola DROID 3, which we’ve seen leaked in bits here and there, has now been shown off in a pretty detailed way. Enthusiast blog PhonePads has posted 3 how-to videos featuring the Motorola DROID 3 and they look like corporate-produced videos. We’re sure we’ll see the Motorola DROID 3 get official sooner than later, but the question is, are you interested? Videos are after the break! (more...)This post origi...