Mobile

BlackBerry subsidiary Secusmart on Monday introduced the SecuTablet, a high-security tablet based on the Samsung Galaxy Tab S 10.5, at the CeBIT 2015 trade show in Dusseldorf, Germany. Developed in collaboration with IBM, the tablet targets national and international public sector markets and enterp...

Microsoft later this year will offer its Cortana personal assistant as a standalone app for iOS and Android devices. Microsoft has been working on the engine behind Cortana "for decades, and it's arguably better than [Siri or Google Now] simply because it's far more mature and comprehensive," said t...

The wearable technology marketplace is already in place and growing. Now, enter the Apple Watch. Although it will speed up growth, this new space will be very different from the iPhone and iPad markets. Large companies like Google, Samsung and Sony, and smaller companies like FitBit and others have ...

Square on Monday introduced two new services for small businesses: instant deposits; and protection for disputed purchases. Square, which six years ago began offering square-shaped mobile credit card readers for smartphones and tablets, has shifted its focus away from point-of-sale operations and to...

EXPERT ADVICE

Mobile Wallets as Credit Card Killers

Google Wallet, bitcoin and other payment systems have spent years trying to oust the credit card as the be-all and end-all of payment methods. Publications and pundits everywhere have been quick to hail new technologies as "credit card-killers," and they're not without justification. As a payment me...

Apple watchers likely will have to wait until September to see if the rumors about a bigger iPad are true. Apple suppliers reportedly have been told that production of the rumored 12.9-inch iPad Pro won't ramp up until the second half of this year. Rumors about a bigger iPad have been in circulati...

Corning Gorilla Glass, which resists scratches and breakage, is the leader in providing the protective layer on smartphone screens. For a while, it appeared as though Sapphire might pose a threat, but no more. In the meantime, Corning has introduced Gorilla Glass 4, which is the best to date. Every ...

Identity thieves are using Apple Pay to defraud banks of what could amount to millions of dollars. Armed with iPhones, the fraudsters are entering stolen payment card information into Apple Pay. Due to weak authentication procedures at the institutions issuing the cards, they are able to use the sto...

Google on Monday confirmed that it plans to launch a mobile virtual network operation, or MVNO, later this year. Google Senior Vice President Sundar Pichai, who heads up operations for Android and Chrome, commented on the undertaking in a Q&A following his keynote address at Mobile World Congres...

Ericsson last week filed patent claims against Apple both with the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas and the U.S. International Trade Commission. "Our suits filed yesterday assert 41 different patents," said Ericsson spokesperson Kathy Egan Wummer. "Of those, 14 are at issue in t...

SIM card maker Gemalto, whose networks reportedly were breached by hackers from the United States National Security Agency and the UK's GCHQ, on Wednesday said the spies got nothing. The hackers stole cryptokeys for millions of SIM cards, according to The Intercept, which cited documents released by...

ANALYSIS

Customer Tech Support: Don't Go It Alone

You may have heard of a company called Geek Squad, but what about PlumChoice or SupportSpace? Even if you don't know their names, you may very well be doing business with them right now. Who are they? PlumChoice, SupportSpace are both relatively small companies that do business with larger companies...

Google Pads Its Wallet

Google on Monday announced a two-pronged thrust to beef up its efforts in the mobile wallet arena. It has struck agreements with Verizon Wireless, AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile to preinstall the Google Wallet app, including its tap-and-pay functionality, on Android phones the carriers will offer la...

Google on Monday announced YouTube Kids, a new mobile app designed to deliver family-friendly video content. In making a play for the tyke market, YouTube joins other streaming video providers like Amazon and Netflix. The YouTube Kids app provides streaming content curated for families -- everything...

Samsung has purchased mobile payments firm LoopPay to create its own digital wallet. Samsung already was an investor in the startup, along with Visa and Synchrony Financial. LoopPay's contactless magnetic secure transmission technology works with magnetic stripe readers. "The one major advantage L...

E-Commerce Times Channels