Democratic Representative Edward Markey of Massachusetts released a draft of his cell phone privacy bill on Monday. The Mobile Device Privacy Act is designed to protect consumers from tracking software such as Carrier IQ, which caused an uproar late last year when it was discovered to be secretly monitoring 150 million smartphone users. The bill would require companies to disclose the use of such tracking software and clarify exactly what information the software collects. Customers would have to consent to any data collected or transmitted, and third parties would have to file applications with the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission to ensure the data is being transmitted securely. “Consumers have the right to know and to say ‘no’ to the presence of software on their mobile devices that can collect and transmit their personal and sensitive information,” said Markey when speaking to The Hill. Markey serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and is the co-chairman of the Congressional Privacy Caucus.

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Samsung will open its bada mobile operating system to other manufacturers and developers next year in an effort to “reduce its reliance” on Android, The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday. The South Korea-based company also hopes it can deploy bada on other devices, such as smart TVs. Samsung unveiled bada in late 2009 and has used the operating system on its Wave family of handsets. According to Gartner, bada currently has a 1.9% share of the mobile OS market. Samsung’s latest bada-powered handsets include the Wave 3, Wave M and Wave Y. “For Samsung to be successful with opening bada it will need to be launched in the United States market, because that is where the most powerful developers and consumers are found,” Strategy Analytics analyst Neil Mawston told The Wall Street Journal. “If bada does not get traction in the huge U.S. market, then the odds will be stacked against success.”

As much as smartphone, mobile hotspot and connected notebook users love the blazing fast speeds afforded by 4G LTE service, it’s tough to be an early adopter when new devices carry such a premium. Verizon Wireless’ latest 4G phone, the DROID Charge, hit the market at a jaw dropping $300 on contract, for example. According to a report from DigiTimes on Thursday, devices with embedded 4G LTE radios are about to get significantly less expensive. With various chipset vendors set to begin mass production of new single-mode LTE chips later this year and Qualcomm preparing production of its multi-mode LTE chips in the first half next year, prices are expected to drop substantially in the second half of 2012. The new components are expected to decrease the cost of LTE network interface cards by 50% or more, and those savings will hopefully trickle across a variety of 4G LTE-enabled end user products quickly.

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Microsoft’s final build of Windows Phone Mango has been rubber stamped and released to manufacturers and wireless carriers according to Windows Phone Dev Podcast. The move is among the final steps before Microsoft delivers the Mango release to customers. The most recent reports have suggested that Microsoft will update current Windows Phone devices in September, although winrumors says the update could be pushed out as soon as August. Microsoft’s Windows Phone partners include HTC, LG, Samsung, Dell, Acer, Fujitsu, ZTE Corporation and Nokia, and we should see a number of new devices from those companies in the fall time frame. Mango was officially announced in May and Microsoft has promised that it will deliver more than 500 new features to the platform.

UPDATE: Microsoft’s Senior Director of Communications Bill Cox has stated that Windows Phone 7.5 Mango has not yet reached RTM, as Windows Phone Dev Podcast reported.

[via winrumors]

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According to Apple’s touch panel makers, the company has not yet made any information available to manufacturing partners with regard to the next-generation iPhone’s production timeline. This new report from DigiTimes contradicts several earlier reports claiming the iPhone 5 will launch in September. In addition, however, it further supports the notion that Apple may alter its current annual release schedule, which has seen the company launch a new iPhone model each summer since the first iPhone was unveiled in 2007. Key component suppliers would likely already have received orders if Apple intended to launch the iPhone 5 in late June or early July. Instead, manufacturers continue to receive orders for the iPhone 4 according to the report. Some speculate that unresolved component and design issues may delay the release of the iPhone 5, while others believe Apple may make minor revisions to the current iPhone 4 model in the coming months and push back the release of a new device. DigiTimes also claims Apple may also be working on a new entry-level iPhone, which is a rumor that has been reported several times over the past few years.

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Apple’s suppliers have shipped between 2.4 million and 2.6 million iPad 2 tablets to date, a new report claims. Citing sources at touch panel suppliers in Taiwan, industry watcher DigiTimes states that shipments of Apple’s iPad 2 have outpaced the original iPad. Apple is reportedly expected to take delivery of between 4 million and 4.3 million iPad 2 units each month between April and June, totaling over 12 million units for the second quarter. The iPad 2 has seen tremendous demand in the U.S. and globally, having sold out in nearly every retail location that made the tablet available. Lines continue to form as new inventory arrives at retail locations abroad, and strong sales have kept stock low at U.S. retailers as well. Shipping estimates for online orders placed on Apple’s website improved to 2-3 weeks last month but that is where they have remained ever since, suggesting supply still hasn’t caught up with demand. Apple’s iPad 2 launched on March 11th in the U.S., and we said in our review that it pushed Apple’s already huge lead in the tablet space even further.

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ComputerWorld has published a study that sheds some light on which manufacturer and wireless carrier in the U.S. provide Android users with operating system updates in the most timely fashion. Data was collected on handsets released by AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, and Verizon from 2009 through 2010. The report examines how many phones were upgraded to Froyo (Android 2.2), how many days it took to receive this upgrade, and what percentage devices are still waiting. The study indicates that HTC has delivered the most Android 2.2 updates to its handsets (50%) while Motorola updates its devices the fastest (54.5 days after 2.2 announcement). In terms of carriers, Verizon took the top spot — taking just 58 days on average to push out 2.2 updates — and was followed by Sprint, T-Mobile, and AT&T respectively. The report notes, “Between June and December, AT&T failed to upgrade a single one of its nine Android phones.” Ouch. What do you think? Any surprises here?

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Research In Motion has just introduced a new Built For BlackBerry program that aims to make sure verified and approved third party manufacturing partners deliver specifically designed accessories and peripherals for BlackBerry smartphones and the BlackBerry PlayBook. RIM details the program as offering, “technical, strategic, and marketing support” to members of the program, in addition to a snazzy Built For BlackBerry logo that will appear on accessory packaging. We have reached out to RIM to try and get an idea of what requirements third party manufacturers will have to meet to be accepted into the program, and most importantly, if RIM is planning on taking a percentage of the sales in exchange for manufacturers using the Built For BlackBerry logo, much like Apple does with their Made For iPod/iPhone program. RIM’s announcement is after the break.

Today, Research In Motion launched the Built For BlackBerry Program, a new initiative that brings RIM together with select market-leading brands in the development of accessories and peripherals. Built For BlackBerry products are specifically designed to work with BlackBerry smartphones and the BlackBerry PlayBook tablet. The program will offer technical, strategic and marketing support, allowing members to complement the BlackBerry portfolio with exciting accessories.

At launch, members in the Built For BlackBerry Program will include: Case-mate, Speck, Incipio, Otterbox, Tru Protection, iGrip, Vaja, Dicota and Trexta. These members are brand leaders in their markets and offer products that appeal to a wide range of BlackBerry customers. Approved products can be identified by the Built For BlackBerry logo appearing on member packaging and marketing material.
Learn more about the Built for BlackBerry program by visiting: www.builtforblackberry.com

Some analysts could soon find themselves in hot water as the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has opened an investigation into the legality of “channel checks.” Channel checks refer to the practice whereby analysts contact inside sources at manufacturing companies in order to glean inside information. This information often has a tendency to move the market, of course, but the SEC is now trying to determine whether or not the practice should be legal. “Insider trading basically comes down to where you know or ought to know that the person from whom you’re getting this information has a duty to someone else to keep it confidential,” former SEC commissioner Paul Atkins told The Wall Street Journal. “If you go in and pay the mail clerk to give you special information, that’s not proper.” Beyond just the analysts involved, the SEC is also investigating “expert networks,” which get paid to connect investors with inside sources.

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According to blog TechRadar, mobile accessory maker Powermat will be working with phone manufacturers to incorporate their wireless charging technology into mobile devices. Currently, the company makes special cases and battery doors for a handful of small electronics to provide wireless charging via its Powermat base station. “We are looking into putting the technology into phones but it is a complex process,” said a Powermat spokesperson. The same spokesperson also went on to say we should start seeing phones with Powermat technology sometime in 2011.

Native, OEM supported wireless charging — which the Palm Touchstone already provides — does add a certain amount of convenience to digital life. It will be interesting to see exactly which manufacturers jump on the Powermat bandwagon.

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Earlier today, while speaking to a group of students and journalists at the London School of Economics, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer revealed that there will indeed be iPad-competing slate products running Windows by Christmas. The catch? Steve didn’t clarify whether these products would be shipping, or just announced, nor who would manufacture them. With HP most likely changing course to offer a webOS-based tablet as opposed to a Windows 7 slate, we’ve got to wonder who will end up being first in this category…

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In an interview with blog Pocket-lint, senior product manager for Microsoft, Greg Sullivan, confirmed who the Windows Phone 7 OEM launch partners would be. And… well, it’s exactly who you’d think it would be. Dell, Asus, LG, HTC, and Samsung will all have WP7 hardware being release around the launch of Microsoft’s next smartphone OS. So when is Windows Phone 7 launching? All Microsoft is saying is “holidays 2010,” which by our calendar puts WP7 in the wild sometime between November and January. Let’s hope for Microsoft’s sake it is closer to November, so they can capitalize on some of that consumeristic gluttony that goes on in the U.S. around December. Come on OEMs, is it too much trouble to ask an engineer to leave a prototype in a bar or something?

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RIM’s sell to the carriers back in the day, who were incredibly hesitant on supporting the “wireless data revolution,” was that RIM’s architecture and back-end infrastructure meant carriers could trust them to optimize and in a sense, load balance their users (BlackBerry subscribers). This worked great when people were sporting monochrome displays and transferring little bits of data over GPRS networks. It was smart, and you know what, it was necessary. The thing is, we’re in a year called 2010, and if you haven’t noticed, people are doing all sorts of things on wireless networks. RIM’s pitch to carriers about data conservation doesn’t mean a single thing. It’s just another scam, and another bullshit tired line while RIM constantly delivers lackluster news and updates.

Wireless networks are being positioned to one day take over regular data at home. There’s the already-launched WiMAX service and the upcoming 4G roll outs from AT&T and Verizon in the U.S. alone. Do you really expect carriers to give one shit about BlackBerry’s “conserving” data when people are buying MiFi devices and having their entire mobile office jump on their networks? While people are downloading torrents over 3G, streaming video, downloading MP3s, and running servers from their data cards? What’s so scary is that looking forward, data conservation isn’t the answer. It’s the opposite. You need to support what people want, and people don’t conserve. That’s just the way it is, and manufacturers don’t care about the carriers like RIM does, let alone people. People leave their water running while people are dying of thirst. People buy things they don’t and won’t ever need. You think people really give two shits about data on their smartphones? No.

Data conservation is why almost every data-related activity on a BlackBerry is painful. That’s why I have to wait for my email to load when I scroll down too fast, because RIM is “conserving that data.” That’s why my attachment viewing experience is so fucking terrible that I forward all of my attachments to my iPhone. That’s why file sending is non-existent on a BlackBerry, because it chunks the data into little kilobyte packages and makes it useless.

Things that might have worked a couple of years ago are already outdated, and things that worked ten years are instantly a non-starter. This is just another sad sign that either RIM is delaying their entire reinvention, or they’re slowly losing it with each passing day. Since I’m a RIM-loving BlackBerry-toting thoroughbred, I surely hope it’s the former, though none are exactly ideal.

I mean, Microsoft is hot again…

As much as everyone’s knee jerk reaction is to discount info like this, a brief pass over recent history tells us we probably shouldn’t be too quick to discount case manufacturers when it comes to leaking products. The iPhone 3G, second generation iPod Touch and even the current iPod nano model each had its form spied ahead of schedule as a result of leaks from case manufacturers – and now it might be the iPhone nano’s turn. This time around we’re not seeing any new imagery or mock-ups as we have in the past (though another manufacturer did leak an iPhone nano case mock-up earlier this year), but the simple “iPhone nano” entry on XSKN’s website could prove to be very telling. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist or even an analyst to tell you that Apple will eventually be issuing a handset on the cheap to corner yet another market segment, but it looks like that could happen sooner rather than later. No, don’t expect it to happen at Macworld as you can be sure Stevo will be there to soak up the attention. At the same time, Apple has the goods when it comes to marketing, positioning and taking advantage of just about any situation. As the economy continues to hamper consumer spending, don’t surprised if we see Cupertino hit the competition where it hurts and enter the $100 and maybe even sub-$100 price ranges during the coming year.

[Via MacRumors]

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