Mobile

The $200 tablet market is heating up as Google introduces its own Android Nexus 7 tablet. Is now the right time to buy one of these bargain tablets?

In this edition of Ask Maggie, I try to help one reader determine which tablet is best for her. And I give her some advice about waiting to see what might be coming next down the mini-tablet line. I also offer some advice to another reader about whether to wait for the iPhone 5 or not.

Nexus 7, Kindle Fire or wait?

The Federal Trade Commission is investigating whether Google's Motorola Mobility unit is improperly blocking access to industry-standard technology that should be licensed to competitors according to traditional industry and legal practice.

A source says Google has been served by the FTC with a civil investigative demand -- similar to a subpoena. The news was reported earlier by Bloomberg, which said the government is also seeking information from Apple and Microsoft.

The issue involves so-called frand patents -- "fair, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory" -- that cover technology essential to the smooth operation of an industry. As CNET's Roger Cheng has explained, more

More bad news for Samsung in its legal battle with Apple: A U.S. district judge has just granted Apple a preliminary injunction against Samsung's Galaxy Nexus phone.

That's the same device Google handed out to developers just a couple of days ago at its I/O conference. Apple had requested an injunction against the smartphone in February, alleging that it infringed on several of its patents. An injunction would keep the Samsung device from being sold in stores in the U.S.

According to Reuters' Dan Levine, the injunction can go into effect as soon as Apple more

Hargreaves suggested that Apple would kill the $399 iPad 2, and could introduce a 16GB iPad mini for a similar price. He also expects a refresh in October for the current  9.7-inch iPad, speculating that it will have a lighter battery and oxide TFT screen and new camera location.

Hargreaves cranked up his price target for Apple from $630 to $690.  

See also: 

Will Google's Nexus 7 prod Apple into producing an iPad Mini?

It took a while, but Motorola has finally bestowed the gift of Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich upon its legendary Droid Razr Maxx. Sure it may not be Jelly Bean, but this fresh infusion of software breathes new life into an already superb smartphone.

GPS could drop off the map as British boffins work on a new location technology that navigates by signals from mobile phones and Wi-Fi. Defense firm BAE Systems is testing Navsop, a navigation system that goes where others can't.

Navsop figures out where it is from a GPS signal, then learns about different signals including medium-wave radio frequencies, mobile phones, televisions, and Wi-Fi to find its way around.

Read more of "Navigate by Wi-Fi and TV signals with GPS rival Navsop" at Crave UK.

No one reason can fully explain why certain tech companies rock while others seem congenitally unable to add two plus two. Especially when you're talking about the soap opera atmosphere around Research In Motion, where the news goes from bad to worse.

On the back of new downgrades following the release of the company's fiscal first quarter earnings, RIM shares were trading down today more than 18 percent.

It was just happenstance, but RIM's earnings report hit the wire while Google was playing host to thousands of developers who had come to San Francisco to attend the more

As promised, Virgin Mobile has started selling Apple's iPhone to its prepaid customers.

Customers looking to get their hands on the device can opt for the 8GB iPhone 4 or the 16GB iPhone 4S. The former will set customers back $550, while the iPhone 4S will cost $650. As one might expect, based on those prices, they come with no contract and no fees for activation.

Virgin Mobile announced earlier this month that it would start carrying Apple's iPhone. The company says that it's available to prepaid customers with its Beyond Talk unlimited data and messaging plans, more

Users of the Splashtop app, which lets you control your PC from an iPad, will find a few enhancements in the latest version.

Released on Wednesday, Splashtop 2 throws in support for the new iPad's Retina Display, so users can take advantage of the higher resolution. You can also now set up a connection without having to enter an IP address or port numbers. Just install and launch the Splashtop streamer app on your computer and the Splashtop iPad app on your tablet, and your computer automatically pops up as an available connection.