Parmy Olson's Blog, page 67

Verizon Maintains Lead In Q2 As Rivals Push New Price Models

A strong wireless business helped Verizon post a 21% rise in its second quarter profit, as rivals such as T-Mobile and AT&T proffer a new range of price models to help ease the strain of paying out smartphone subsidies.

Nokia's Q2 Handset Sales Disappoint After 'Difficult Start' To Year

Investors are getting anxious in the bold but bumpy turnaround for struggling phone maker Nokia. The company's shares fell 6% in Helsinki this morning after it reported a 4% fall in group handset sales from the first quarter to 53.7 units, slipping below forecasts for sales of 56.2 million.

FreedomPop CEO Is Skeptical About AT&T's No-Contract Plan

There's a revolution of sorts happening among American mobile phone carriers.

Corporate Customers Flock To Anti-Snooping App Silent Circle

Thanks to the NSA privacy scandal, business is booming for services that claim they can keep mobile phone communications away from prying eyes and ears. One of the most high profile among them is Silent Circle, a National Harbour, Maryland-based firm whose monthly revenue has increased more than 400% month-on-month since June 6, the landmark day that documents leaked by Edward Snowden revealed a mass, government snooping campaign called PRISM.

With Nearly 200M Users, Messaging App LINE Is Gunning For The U.S.

Mobile messaging apps are fast becoming more than just messaging apps. KakaoTalk and Kik are turning into social platforms that host third-party apps and games. LINE, which started off as an app offering free texts and calls, wants to be a fully fledged entertainment platform.

Samsung Opens New Startup Accelerator In Silicon Valley As It Seeks Innovation Edge

It wasn't the lavish launch party of the Galaxy S4 in New York last March, but Samsung's swanky, blue-tinted opening of its new startup accelerator in Silicon Valley showed it is serious about sucking up all the innovation it can from a region that lives and breathes technology.

Nokia Goes For Camera Phone Crown With 41-Megapixel Lumia - But Will Consumers Care?

Nokia is wowing the smartphone industry again with a eye-popping, 41-megapixel camera phone -- but it may yet struggle to grab more mainstream smartphone customers. The company launched its new flagship 1020 Lumia phone powered by Windows in New York today, its primary selling point being a high-quality camera that combines an image stabiliser, large sensor and 41 megapixel camera. What does 41 megapixels get you? Super-sharp images and a lot more detail when zooming into a scene. Check out this example from Nokia here, and good luck if you've got a slow browser.

Shazam Uses Billionaire's Investment To Become More Social, Expand Into TV

Popular music recognition app Shazam announced a surprise investor this week: Carlos Slim Helu, the world's second richest man and the force behind America Movil, Latin America's biggest wireless provider. Slim Helu is spending $40 million buying out some existing shareholders, but leaving a "substantial amount of money" for Shazam, according to Rich Riley, Shazam's newly-instated chief executive

Billionaire Slim Puts $40 Million Into Shazam

The world's second-richest man is putting his money where your smartphone's mic is, with a $40 million investment in music-recognition app Shazam. The small British company with big ambitions has inked a partnership with Carlos Slim Helu and his company America Movil, ahead of its own IPO. As well as buying a stake, America Movil has formed a strategic partnership that will it pre-install the service on smartphones it sells across Latin America.

Samsung Exec Gives First-Hand Account Of San Francisco Plane Crash

Samsung executive David Eun was one of the passengers on board the Boeing 777 aircraft that crash-landed at San Francisco International airport on Saturday afternoon.