Virus detection and security group Symantec has today reported that a bug by the name of Android.Counterclank has infected between 1 million and 5 million Android users as of this afternoon. This bit of software sits on a handful of easily downloadable applications available on the Android Market as of late today and each has been downloaded several hundred times at least, with some ranging in the thousands. This Android.Counterclank has the highest distribution of any malware identified inside 2012 and may well be the largest infection on Android in its short history.
Read The Full Story
- Join in on SlashGear’s WIMM Spring Developers Project!
- The PS Vita Will Be Sony’s Last Portable
- Why I Don’t Want to Imagine A World Without A DVR
- SlashGear 101: Windows 8 on ARM
- SlashGear 101: Android@Home
- Motorola DROID 4 Hands-On and Unboxing
- Nokia Lumia 800 White official: Hands-on
- Switching between Android 4.0 ICS and iPhone 4S
Must Read in Smartphone
‘smartphone’ Stories
Symantec: Android Market having its largest malware infection ever
Sony Ericsson buyout approved by EU
This week the EU's list of mergers and takeovers includes no less than an approval for Japan's Sony to acquire sole control of the mobile phone company called Sony Ericsson. This company had thus far been co-owned by both Sony and Ericsson, and has been approved on the 26th of January to be owned only be Sony. This comes just one week after the company Sony Ericsson posted a $318 million USD loss in their 4th quarter earnings report.
Read The Full Story
Lumigon promises a whole new Android at Mobile World Congress
Not since their last brief appearance in early 2011 have the folks as Lumigon A/S come forth with any details on their first near-invisible Android device, the Lumigon T1. Now we're seeing that they're most definitely going to be making an appearance at no less than Mobile World Congress 2012. The countdown has begun on an Android phone that last looked to have more buttons than any average Android-loving smartphone user could possible make use of.
Read The Full Story
Nokia CEO taps salesmen to assure Lumia push
Over the last year when it came to Windows Phone, we saw a lovely looking user interface fall victim to less than stellar engagement and interest on the part of the public - Stephen Elop this week says that it's the work of the salesmen, not the manufacturer, to make the final drop of the device into the hands on the consumer. Without a doubt there's a certain flair to the Lumia line of smartphones being released both here in the USA and abroad this year, but without the folks in the stores actually pointing people to the hands-on equipment, there's certainly no chance of a big hit in the engagement environment. Elop let the world know in Nokia's sales call what he expects from store employees in the very near future.
Read The Full Story
RIM CEO blasts Android phones as “all the same”
RIM CEO Thorsten Heins may only have been in the big chair since Monday, but the new chief exec is already coming out swinging, blasting Android devices as "all the same" and rejecting suggestions that the struggling Canadian company should be sold off. Asked about persistent recommendations that RIM should ditch its own BlackBerry 10 plans and adopt Android instead, Heins argued to Crackberry that "there is just no room for differentiation because [Android phones] are all the same."
Read The Full Story
Apple takes Smartphone crown in Q4 2011
Apple has edged past Samsung again in global smartphone shipments, according to new research, reclaiming the smartphone top-spot in Q4 2011 thanks to huge demand for the iPhone 4S. The Cupertino company shipped 37m devices in Q4, versus 36.5m for Samsung, Strategy Analytics reckons, giving Apple 0.4-percent more marketshare worldwide than its Korean rivals. However, when the numbers are crunched for 2011 as a whole, Samsung still comes out ahead.
Read The Full Story
HTC Sense 4.0 previewed: Streamlined UI, 50GB DropBox integration, more
HTC has already said it plans to focus on quality not quantity with its 2012 range, but it seems the company has some significant software changes in the pipeline too with HTC Sense 4.0. The Android reskin initially offered a far more usable interface than the native OS, but Google's successive iterations narrowed the gap and HTC failed to keep pace with its own services. Now, according to some preview playtime by Pocketnow, that's changing: gone is the unnecessary heft, replaced with a pared-down UI, better typography and improved apps such as email and DropBox integration.
Read The Full Story
Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX hands-on and unboxing
Motorola is back with another Android smartphone for Verizon’s 4G LTE network. Adding another DROID to their ever-growing list of phones. Some might say they’ve released too many too fast lately on big red but the new RAZR MAXX is a bit special — and available today. This phone features a standard, built-in 3,300 mAh battery. Something no other LTE handset can even come close to touching. See more after the break.
HTC to return to Hero Device strategy for 2012
In a move that should have Android device and Windows Phone device lovers jumping for joy, HTC has turned vocal on their plans for 2012 to release a limited amount of smartphones and tablets, each of them perfected to "hero" status. While the main bulk of the mobile market's strategy still seems to be to toss as many different devices against the wall to see which ones stick, HTC's UK chief Phil Robertson has made it clear, speaking with Mobile Magazine, that they'll be cutting down on the bulk for this year. In addition, HTC is said to be releasing devices starting in the second quarter of the year, not immediately going full-boar here right at the start.
Read The Full Story
Nokia Bought Time, But That Clock Is Ticking
$1.25 billion in losses would normally be a pretty dire way to end a quarter, but Nokia managed to muster just enough sugar for lemonade with more than a million sales of its first two Windows Phone handsets. After months of “we’ll launch by the end of the year” promises, Elop & Co. came through with not one but two smartphones based on Microsoft’s OS, turning that duo into a trio at CES 2012 earlier this month. As foundations go it’s a solid start, but make no mistake: it only gets tougher from here.
DROID RAZR MAXX on sale now
The Motorola DROID RAZR MAXX is on sale now, as expected, with Verizon asking $299.99 for the battery-bloated Android smartphone. Announced officially at CES earlier this month, the RAZR MAXX swaps the original DROID RAZR's slimline battery for a larger, 3,300 mAh pack that Motorola reckons is good for up to 21.5hrs talktime.
Read The Full Story
AT&T Q4 2011: 7.6m iPhones activated, revenue hits $32.5bn
AT&T has revealed its Q4 2011 financial results, with incredibly strong iPhone activations - contributing 7.6m to 9.4m smartphone sales - helping boost revenue by $1.1bn year-on-year to $32.5bn. Smartphones and mobile broadband were the stand-outs for the carrier, with 82-percent of postpaid device sales being smartphones and postpaid ARPU (average revenue per user) up to $63.76.
Read The Full Story
REVIEWS
VIDEOS
- POPULAR STORIES THIS WEEK
- Temple Run for Android postponed, still coming this month
- iPad twin-tier pricing tipped to topple Android rivals
- iPad 3's biggest boost will be its massive resolution
- Google "next-gen personal communication device" in testing
- Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 pricing set for disaster
- Google: We want 2.25% of the iPhone sticker price
- Mattel Hover Board prepped for 2012 holiday release
- Tesla Model X all-electric crossover unveiled and detailed
- RECENT COMMENTS
