Samsung patent decision may delay new Android phones: research firm

Leading Android smartphone manufacturers may delay new device launches as they analyse a $1.05-billion patent verdict against Samsung and attempt to “design around Apple's patents,” Canaccord Genuity said in a research note Monday.

Last week, on Aug. 24, a nine-person federal jury in the United States said South Korean manufacturer Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. must pay Apple Inc. $1.05 billion US for infringing six of seven Apple patents.

Apps, simplicity of use, to determine OTT device supremacy, analysts say

The strength of available apps and platform simplicity will be key factors determining the success of Apple Inc., Google Inc., Roku Inc. and Boxee Inc. as they compete for customers in the emerging North American over-the-top TV market, analysts say.

Android surged in Q2 despite weakened cell phone sales: Gartner

Worldwide smartphone sales increased year-over-year by 42.7 per cent in the second quarter of 2012 despite a 2.3 per cent decline in overall cell phone sales, research firm Gartner Inc. said in a new report released Tuesday.

In a release, Gartner said its “Market Share: Mobile Devices, Worldwide, 2Q12” report found that 153.7 million smartphones were sold around the globe in the three-month period ending June 30, up from 107.7 million during the same period a year earlier.

Google, Apple share of shipments surge to 85%

Mobile operating systems by Google Inc. and Apple Inc. powered 85 per cent of all smartphones shipped in the second quarter of 2012, the International Data Corporation (IDC) said Wednesday.

IDC cited its Worldwide Quarterly Mobile Phone Tracker report and said Google's Android platform held a 68.1 per cent market share of all smartphones shipped during the quarter. That represents a year-over-year rise of 106.5 per cent compared to the second quarter of 2011, IDC said.

Church joins Google’s communications team

Google Inc.’s Toronto office has added Leslie Church, Michael Ignatieff’s former communications director, as a senior manager on its communications and public affairs team.

Church—who served as the former federal Liberal Party leader’s director of communications during his 2006 leadership bid and again from late 2008 until May, 2011—joined Google in June as the company’s senior manager of global communications and public affairs in Canada, she confirmed in a telephone interview Friday.

Google unveils new tablet, music device

Google Inc. unveiled a new tablet, dubbed the Nexus 7, at the Google I/O Conference for developers in San Francisco on Wednesday, marking the company’s entry into the tablet business. 

The 7-inch tablet, designed by Google and built by Asustek Computer Inc. in Taiwan, will run on the company’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean operating system, the company said in a video posted on YouTube.com.

Google TV launching in Canada with 150 TV-optimized apps

Canada's over-the-top television landscape will become more competitive this summer as Sony Corp. launches Google Inc.'s Google TV product in the country for the first time.

Sony Canada said in a release Monday it will sell a new device called the NSZ-GS7, or Sony Internet Player with Google TV, for $200 in Canada. It will be available from Canadian retailers in August and pre-orders can be made online starting June 27 on Sony's website, the company said.

TV app development a new opportunity for media companies: Report

Canadian digital media companies tend to be small and face problems finding private-sector financing, but new opportunities like TV app development continue to arise, new consultants’ reports released by the Canada Media Fund said.

Rogers, Bell rank as global throttlers: Report

Data compiled through user-generated tests on Google Inc.’s Measurements Lab (MLab) project show Rogers Communications Inc. and BCE Inc. are two of the world’s most frequent throttlers of BitTorrent traffic.

Google rents movies in Android store

Google Inc. said Wednesday it has reached a deal with Paramount Pictures to rent movies in the Google Play app store used on its Android mobile phones and tablets. 

TV distributors say Bill C-11 may hinder more efficient network PVR services

Television distributors that offer personal video recorder (PVR) services say the Conservative government's copyright reform Bill C-11 could prevent the launch of TV recording and playback services stored on their own networks.