No More OS Upgrades for a Dozen Sony Mobile Smartphones:

Sony is not expected to issue any more software updates for a dozen of its smartphones, it has been revealed.

The list of dormant handsets as far as OS upgrades is concerned was compiled by the Xperia Blog based on researching the Sony Mobile support website.

That's not to say that users can't try to upgrade the Android OS themselves, but it wont be supported by Sony Mobile, and some worse, some functionality could even be lost.

According to the report, the following devices won't receive any more software updates from Sony:

• Xperia Arc S
• Xperia S
• Xperia SL
• Xperia Ion
• Xperia Acro S
• Xperia Go
• Xperia P
• Xperia U
• Xperia J
• Xperia Miro
• Xperia Tipo
• Xperia Sola.

Document Leaks Future iPhone and Samsung Handset Details:

What could be one of the biggest handset leaks in recent years has come from a South Korean analyst which published the alleged specifications of both forthcoming Samsung and Apple flagship smartphones.

More worrying for Apple, at the hardware side at least, the Samsung device looks to be the more powerful handset. Whether that is enough to tempt Apple-loyalists is probably unlikely, but it might cause some wavering Apple fans to switch brands.

The document, which may be based on actual insights, or leaks sent to the analyst seems to confirm that Apple will release two new models this year, with one edging into the phablet market.

The camera is still set at a modest 8-megapixel, although it has to be noted that Apple puts more effort into its lenses and software, so while the headline megapixel figure may be lower than Samsung, the photos could be comparable.

Angry Birds Website Hacked:

Hackers attacked the website of the Angry Birds developer, Rovio Entertainment, uploading a spoof page calling them Spying Birds following reports that the US spy agencies had tapped into smartphones playing the games.

In a statement, the company said that it did not "collaborate or collude" with any government spy agency.

What appeared to be the situation is that most apps send some information about their users back to the app developer, such as locations or usage, and it was these feeds that the NSA was able to tap into.

The NSA probably didn't have access to the app developer's servers, they just listened into normal telecoms traffic and extracted the necessary information.

However, as Angry Birds was explicitly mentioned in NSA files, the company came under intense scrutiny as a result.

ZX Spectrum Games Developer Suspends IOS App Sales in Royalties Dispute:

UK based mobile apps developer, Elite Systems has withdrawn all its iPhone games following a spate of complaints that it hasn't paid royalties to the original games designers.

The company, itself an early 1980s computer games developer converts old 1980s games for use on smartphones by a nostalgic customer base.

However, a series of postings on Sinclair fan forums from games designers who licensed their games to the company have suggested that it has at best been late in making payments, or not made any payments at all.

In a statement, Elite Systems company Director, Steve Wilcox admitted that there had been problems and that they would withdraw all iPhone apps from sale until they have sorted out their accounting systems to ensure payments are made.

In his statement, Wilcox said that he accepted that he had failed in his "duty to ensure that some of the reports and some of the payments - due to the ZX Spectrum game developers, with whom Elite has contractual relationships - were made in accordance with the agreed terms"

Samsung Unlikely to Add an Iris Scanner to its Smartphones -- Yet:

As smartphones become increasingly generic -- a rectangle with an OS -- manufacturers are looking for more exotic ways of making their products stand out.

Whether it be high camera resolutions, different screen sizes, or recently, the fashion for fingerprint scanners.

A rumour that Samsung might go one stage further and replace the fingerprint scanner with an iris scanner however appears to remain buried in the rumours department.

A company source told the Korea Herald that the iris scanner technology is not only too immature for deployment, it is inherently unsuited for use in a mobile phone.

"Who would want to put their handset up close to their eyes for authentication in places like movie theaters and bed, or even while they are driving?," the industry source said.

Another reason for avoiding the iris scanner is that the existing front facing camera cannot handle the necessary processes, so a third camera module would be needed in the handset, pushing up the price and adding to the handset size.

Google Chrome to Start Compressing Mobile Web Data Downloads:

Google has announced some updates for its Chrome web browser for smartphones that includes data compression on the fly to reduce bandwidth consumption.

When enabled, Chrome's data compression and bandwidth management is claimed to reduce data usage by up to 50% while browsing the web on Chrome for Android and iOS. This feature also enables Chrome's Safe Browsing technology which helps protect users from malicious webpages.

The company did not elaborate on how it does this, but it is likely to be similar to the pre-compression adopted by Opera and Nokia where their servers compress the page before sending it to the mobile phone.

Google has also added its existing Android language translation service for Apple devices and improved how Android devices handle bookmarking of websites.

These updates will be rolling out over the next few days, or users can force an update through their handset menus.

AT&T to Support Mobile Credit Card Payments by Vantiv:

USA based AT&T says that it has signed a deal to support mobile credit card payments with Vantiv.

The companies will offer two services -- on a virtual checkout application designed to run on tablets, and the other a credit-card scanner for use with smartphones.

Explaining the service, AT&T cited a report from Forrester Research that projects that U.S. mobile payments will reach $90 billion in 2017, representing a 48 percent compound annual growth rate from the $12.8 billion spent in 2012.

"AT&T's sales force and its retail locations create a powerful new distribution channel for Vantiv's mobile products to reach the millions of businesses who need this important functionality." said Elizabeth Rector, Senior Vice President and General Manager for eCommerce and Mobile at Vantiv.

Apple's Next iPhone May Ship with Lower-Grade Camera Sensor:

The Apple rumour-mill is starting to crank up already for the next in its series of smartphones, with reports that it might not bother upgrading the camera sensor.

Shares in a camera components supplier, Largan Precision fell following reports that the next iPhone handset will ship with the same 8-megapixel sensor as its current model, and not the 16-megapixel version that the supplier had hoped to supply.

Citing Nomura Securities, China Post reported that Largan's recently lagging performance in the market is caused by rumors that Apple may adopt an 8 megapixel camera with improved optical image stabilization on its upcoming handset, instead of the 16 MP upgrade anticipated by industry observers.

Samsung Beefs Up Security in Semiconductors:

Samsung says that it has signed a deal to include anti-hacking software supplied by Rambus into a range of its semiconductor and system devices.

This agreement allows Samsung to provide protection against side channel attacks in devices such as smartphones, payment chips, content protection systems, and enterprise applications.

Also, Samsung and Rambus announced they have extended their architecture licensing relationship for 10 years, until 2023.

Side channel and differential power analysis (DPA) attacks involve measuring variations in the electrical power consumption or RF emissions of a target device, then using advanced statistical methods to derive cryptographic keys and other secrets.

The agreement requires quarterly royalty payments to Rambus of $15 million per quarter for the first five years, with an initial payment of $22 million for the fourth quarter of 2013.

"This new 10-year agreement symbolizes our ability to add value to Samsung through our core memory and security technologies," said Dr. Ron Black, president and chief executive officer at Rambus. "Extending this relationship for a longer term gives us the ability to work with the broader industry on a variety of exciting technology initiatives."

Bump No More Says Google As It Closes Bump App:

A few months after it was bought by Google, the Bump service is closing down as the team focus on other services for the new parent company.

Bump was an NFC based file sharing service that made it easier for two smartphones to swap content by "bumping" themselves together. Google bought the company last September.

In a blog post, the Bump's co-founder and CEO, David Lied said that the company is "deeply focused on new projects withing Google".

As a consequence, the Bump and Flock apps will be removed from both the Android and iPhone app stores at the end of this month, and the services shut-down.

The company is offering an export option for user data in the meantime.

TCS Insurance Launches Mobile Telematics Solution:

Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) (BSE: 532540, NSE: TCS), a leading IT services, consulting, and business solutions organization, today announced the launch of TCS Insurance Telematics Solution, a mobile application that turns consumers’ smartphones into mobile telematics devices. Facilitating usage-based insurance (UBI) practices that more closely align consumer driving patterns and habits with auto insurance premiums, the TCS Insurance Telematics Solution minimizes the need for a separate, potentially expensive, telematics device provided by the insurer.

“Telematics data has the potential to radically change the way auto insurance is underwritten, and smartphone-based data acquisition presents a lower barrier for consumers than other methods,” said Matthew Josefowicz, managing director at Novarica, a research and advisory firm focused on insurance technology strategy. “While some early adopters built their own telematics capabilities internally, insurers are increasingly turning to partners to help manage data capture and analysis in this important area.”

Now, auto insurance companies can leverage a customized version of the TCS Insurance Telematics application available for iOS and Android devices. Consumers will be able to track driving habits and adopt safe behaviors that save them money. By leveraging telematics data for underwriting and actuarial processes, insurers can segment customers based on risk score, perform life time value analysis and, ultimately improve product pricing and strategy.

Apple Fined for Price Fixing in Taiwan:

Apple has been fined by Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission after it was found to have interfered in the pricing and distribution of its smartphones in the country.

The company was fined NT$20 million (US$670,000), which can rise to NT$50 million if it continues the breaches it was accused of.

The Commission found that Apple had been telling the country's mobile networks how much to charge for its iPhones, and also asked them to adjust their prices in a coordinated manner.

Suppliers directing retailers how to set prices is illegal in Taiwan.

"Through the email correspondence between Apple and these three telecom companies we discovered the companies submit their pricing plans to Apple to be approved or confirmed before the products hit the market," the Commission said in a statement.

The complaint relates only to sales of Apple's iPhones. There are no plans to investigate other Apple products at the moment.

Smartphones Accounting for 4 out of 5 NFC Devices As Expectation for NFC-Enabled Devices is Raised

Building on the monument gained last year, smartphones will continue to account for the majority of NFC shipments in 2013 as volumes jump by 129%, according to ABI Research.

However, importantly for the future of NFC, this trend is set to decline from 2014 onwards as attach rates in other categories, including computing products, peripherals and speakers, digital cameras and printers, domestic appliances and automotive, increase more rapidly. Consequently, smartphones will decline from a peak of 80% of all NFC device shipments this year to less than 60% in 2017 as these other product categories see greater adoption of NFC.

An addition to ABI Research's NFC Market Data is a new analysis by smartphone tier as well as by the different mobile, consumer electronics, and non-consumer device categories. This segregates the market by high-, mid- and low-tier smartphones featuring NFC. Currently the greatest level of adoption is in the mid-tier category, where approaching half of smartphones are NFC-enabled. This is to be expected as the high-tier smartphone category is heavily influenced by Apple, which remains the notable exception for NFC adoption.

Practice director, John Devlin, comments, "Much has been made of Apple's decision not to add NFC and prioritize Bluetooth Low Energy for the time being. However, ABI Research's latest figures show that, in terms of connectivity, NFC is increasingly being adopted in an expanding range of products and will continue to grow. This has been triggered by current levels of smartphone adoption and we don't see this trend reversing. In addition, the volume of announcements and agreements relating to the launch of NFC-based payment services in all regions indicates that there will be another wave of interest in 2014-15. This is reflected in our forecast for SWP SIM Cards next year, with volumes expected to increase by 140% in 2014."

Jolla Starts Smartphone Sales in Europe:

Finnish smartphone manufacturer, Jolla says a new batch of its smartphones is now available to order via its website for customers across Europe. This is the launch of Jolla's online shop, starting with the EU countries, Switzerland and Norway.

The company said that new customers can expect to receive their Jolla smartphone in two to four weeks.

Earlier this year Jolla had two highly successful pre-order campaigns that both sold-out.

"Sales of Jolla smartphones are off to a great start and it is time to move on to the next phase by offering a new batch of Jolla smartphones to new customers across Europe," says Tomi Pienimäki, CEO of Jolla.

Previously ordered devices are all being shipped to EU customers by Christmas, whereas the shipments of new orders will begin in early January.

"After solving some technical logistics issues all the shipments to pre-order customers in the EU will be shipped by Christmas. We want to thank all of our valued customers for their great support and patience to make this happen," continues Pienimäki.

Jolla will also be opening a webpage where customers can discuss and vote on which features they would like to see in future smartphones, report issues and submit ideas.

Now Rolling: Android 4.3; Jelly Bean for Xperia Z1 and Xperia Z Ultra:

Sony Mobile says that it has been working to blend its Xperia software with Google's Jelly Bean release and is now rolling out its latest software update to smartphones.

Launched with Xperia Z1, the company is now bringing its Smart Social Camera to Xperia Z Ultra, that lets users download and access "Xperia camera apps" directly from within the viewfinder

They're also uplifting Sony's entire native app portfolio to the latest versions - bringing tweaked / improved / current experiences for: Messaging, MyXperia, Smart Connect, Small apps, TrackID, and Sony Select.

Sony said that it is also offering a unique custom interface experience: "Xperia Themes", with downloadable UI packs from Sony Select.

The Android 4.3; Jelly Bean rollout for the remaining Sony Xperia products is right around the corner, although as usual, timing & availability may vary by market & carrier.

UAE Networks Block BlackBerry's BBM Channels Service:

Both of the UAE's mobile networks have reportedly blocked the use of BlackBerry's new BBM Channels on smartphones, although the service is still available in the country via websites.

BlackBerry itself said that it is working with the regulator to unblock the service.

One of the two networks, Du said the service was no longer available: "In accordance with the internet management policy issued by the TRA to regulate internet content that is not in line with moral, social and cultural values that the UAE stands for, the BBM Channel application is unavailable to du customers until further notice."

The regulator has not issued any public comment, although mobile mobile networks say that the block was at its instigation.

"We are working with our partners in the UAE to ensure their customers are able to enjoy the premier messaging experience of BBM and we will continue to work together to resolve any issues preventing people from using BBM Channels," BlackBerry said.

Wireless Devices Shipments to Surge, Thanks to Multistream Wi-Fi, WiGig and Similar Technologies:

The global market for high-speed wireless-enabled devices is set for explosive growth within the next five years as more consumer electronics products take advantage of rapid wireless transfer capabilities, according to a new report from IHS.

Annual shipments of high-speed wireless-enabled devices such as smartphones, televisions and mobile PCs are expected to reach 503 million devices by 2018, up more than tenfold from 49 million units anticipated in 2013. Growth during the next three years will be tremendous, ranging from 60 to 120 percent, with expansion during the last two years of the forecast window moderating somewhat to still-high increases of up to 30 percent, as shown in the attached figure.

A high-speed wireless-enabled device, as defined by IHS, is one that includes at least one of the following technologies: WirelessHD, WHDI, 802.11ad (WiGig) or multi-stream Wi-Fi (802.11n 3x3 higher or 802.11ac 2x2 and higher). These technologies, in turn, are known for featuring wireless speeds several times faster than that of 802.11n and earlier, which offer velocities anywhere between 72 megabits per second (mbps) to 530 mbps typical of Wi-Fi.

"Much of the anticipated growth in the high-speed wireless industry will be attributed to the increase of both WiGig and multistream Wi-Fi in mobile and home entertainment applications by the end of the forecast period," said Stephanie Gibbons, senior analyst for connectivity at IHS. "In particular, WiGig and multistream Wi-Fi are the two technologies set to drive high-speed wireless adoption into key consumer electronics applications."

China Mobile selects Micropross NFC Forum test tools for acceptance testing:

China Mobile, one of the world’s most important mobile network operator, has selected Micropross NFC Forum test tool for compliance testing of NFC enabled devices, before allowing them to be sold on the China Mobile point of sales.

NFC (Near Field Communication) is one of the most discussed technology of the moment, because it paves the way for new use cases around mobile devices, such as smartphones, or tablet PC. Those use cases include payment, exchange of data, and easy synchronization with other hardware such as headsets. The number of NFC enabled devices grows on a daily basis, and in order to verify the good interoperability between those devices, Micropross has developed a full range of compliance platforms, aiming at payment (EMVCo), NFC (NFC Forum) and general contactless (ISO) conformance testing.

China Mobile, in order to ensure the best experience to their users, have the strict policy of submitting all devices submitted by their different vendors to a full acceptance round, in their own laboratories. With the growing momentum of NFC, it became important for China Mobile to include tests for this technology, and after a comprehensive evaluation process, they selected Micropross Contactless Test Station as the tool they would use for this purpose.

Etisalat Launches Easybusiness Millionaire Hunt Promo for Nigerian SMEs:

Speaking on the promo, Director, Business Segment, Etisalat Nigeria, Lucas Dada, said the Easybusiness Millionaire Hunt will go a long way to help young entrepreneurs who possess fantastic business ideas but lack the capital to pursue their dreams.

“Easybusiness Millionaires Hunt is designed to reward Nigerian SMEs with the most viable business ideas with fantastic gift items such as business grants worth N20m, free training courses on entrepreneurial management and advisory services from the esteemed Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University, office equipment and smartphones to kick off their business in the right direction,” he said.

He expressed the belief that the promo would prove beneficial to SME owners across the country. Dada explained that “although the Top 10 winners with the best business ideas will be rewarded with N2 million each, there are also other prizes to be won which include free business trainings at the Enterprise Development Centre of the Pan Atlantic University for the top 50 winners, in addition to getting office equipment to help them start up their business and over 200 Smartphone’s to be won on a daily basis throughout the promo duration.”

He further explained that interested customers are required to text YES to 5885 from their Easybusiness lines to opt-in for the competition. After this, he said, an SMS would be sent to them indicating a unique code and a URL where their business ideas should be forwarded to. Easybusiness customers can also enter a daily draw to win smartphones by texting WIN to 30555. The offer is open to new and existing Easybusiness customers only, but customers on other plans can migrate to easybusiness by loading N1000 and dialing *246*1#.

Winners of smartphones have already emerged in the daily draw and have been presented with their prizes. Some of the winners include Mr. Nosa Austine, Haruna Mohammed and Jonathan Bata, all Easybusiness subscribers. The Easybusiness millionaire hunt promo will run  upto December 31, 2013.

Firefox OS Smartphones Go On Sale in More Countries:

Telenor has announced that their first Firefox OS phones went on sale in Hungary last week and sales begin in Serbia and Montenegro now. The mobile network operator also announced plans to bring Firefox OS phones to Asia in 2014.

Followed by a wave of launches in Latin America in October, Firefox OS phones have also launched in more European markets recently.

In the last few weeks, Deutsche Telekom started offering Firefox OS phones through Telekom in Hungary and Cosmote in Greece. Earlier this year, Deutsche Telekom launched Firefox OS phones through T-Mobile in Poland.

Firefox OS based smartphones are now available in 13 countries with more coming soon.

In related news, Geeksphone, a Firefox OS smartphone vendor appears to be working in a new handset that can support both Android and Firefox in the same phone.