COMPANIES

Though nothing official has yet to come out from HTC, speculations on its new flagship smartphone continue to swirl wildly, the latest of which is the detailed specs of the rumoured handset known for now as HTC M7.

Good news for Sony smartphone owners. The Japanese firm confirmed in a blog post dated Dec 17 that specific Xperia phone models will soon chew in the JellyBean update in the form of a phased deployment that will start on February 2013.

Motorola Atrix HD is finally having an update of Android 4.1 Jellybean as AT&T announced on their Consumer Blog. The update was released after the update for Samsung Galaxy S3 devices.

Few days into Christmas, Google remains grappling on how to solve its Nexus delivery problems and the best it can offer this week is an apology and admission that its supply chain for the hit devices is “erratic.”

The last firmware update for the Nokia Lumia 800 and related models is reportedly rolling out in Europe, with Dutch owners of the handset getting a taste of the Windows Phone 7 refresh, blog reports said.

Why pay if you can download apps for free? The answer to that question would probably be the similar to why people still buy smartphones if you already have a regular mobile phone.

Business information analysts at IBISWorld reveal the industries can set to cash in - or lose out - on our good intentions for 2013. What do consumers wish as the the New Year approaches?

While much of the world is engrossed in the Mayan calendar prediction that the world could end on Friday, Dec 21, a forecast by ANZ Bank will bring a smile to Australian borrowers. The ANZ believes the Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) would cut the current overnight cash rate of 3 per cent to 2 per cent.

Nokia is set to roll out software updates for the Lumia 920 this December, which mainly are configured to fix issues on the Windows-phone handset’s camera technology.

HTC’s Droid DNA now comes in the familiar red colour of its U.S. carrier – red. However, any plans to acquire this powerful handset in the screaming tone could prove circuitous for the average consumers.

The upcoming Galaxy S4 handset from Samsung will likely be anything but unbreakable, the screen that is, reports said, dousing speculations that the flagship Android smartphone will break new paths in terms of solid build mobile devices.

One of the reasons why users loves Android OS platform is the prominent availability of applications. The Android Market or now Google Play Store has been supporting thousands of apps ranging from games to business, social to utilities. And of all these apps from Google Play have been downloaded by millions of users and possibly re-downloaded again for whatever reason.

More modification options for the Nexus 4 were recently unleashed by the generous people over at XDA Developers for maximum enjoyment of the Google-LG smartphone this holiday season.

Leaks for three Sony smartphones came out, following the ongoing trend of phone spec and photo leaks almost every day. The latest leaks are for the Huashan, Odin and Yuga models.

For Android Galaxy S2 users looking for 4.1.2 Jellybean stable firmware, an XXLSJ based 4.1 firmware version will soon be available for installation on the Samsung Galaxy S2 GT-I9100 model.

Asus issued a companion dock for the Google signature tablet Nexus 7, which blog reports said will first hit the Japanese market within December, with the likelihood of a global rollout to follow shortly.

Europe saw demand for new cars drop for the fourteenth consecutive month in November. On the 14th of December, the European Automobile Manufacturers' Association released its survey which showed that European Union car sales decreased as much as 10 percent to almost 926,500 vehicles. PSA Peugeot Citroen, Renault SA and Fiat SpA noted the biggest slumps among other carmakers.

Google’s Nexus 4, it turns out, has a hidden LTE chip and it can be easily activated with bits of digging. Users of this Android smartphone in selected U.S. and Canadian locations are bound to enjoy super-fast wireless broadband connection without mustering any hacking skills.

Android currently reigns supreme in the global smartphone arena, underscoring the fact that the Google platform has been generating satisfaction among the hundreds of millions subscribed to the system since its inception.

After another day and another round of JellyBean update to several mobile devices, Lenovo IdeaTab is finally getting an update. The device originally runs Ice Cream Sandwich and now users can obtain the latest Android version 4.1.1 JellyBean for Lenovo IdeaTab A2109.

Techies who follow the Galaxy S and Galaxy Note flagship from Samsung are also monitoring the future of these two devices, namely the Galaxy S4 and Galaxy Note 3. Recent rumours include leaks of the upcoming Galaxy Note 3 which entails 6.3 inches of screen display, which would make it almost like any 7-inch tablet in the market.

It is likely that the Galaxy Note 3 will be unveiled sometime in 2013, reports said, and as expected Samsung is pushing the limit on screen size. From the 5.5-inch that came with the Note 2, the upcoming phablet will be deployed with a display panel that stretches to 6.3 inches.

Westpac shareholders approved on Thursday a $9.6 million compensation package for the bank's chief executive, Gail Kelly. Over 88 per cent of stockholders gave the green light for the pay packet.

By its price alone, at $US199, the HTC Droid DNA is an open invite for Christmas shoppers but with the handset’s circulation marked by mostly positive feedbacks, this 1080p smartphone is set to draw more attention as the shopping season heats up.

Deeper probes of the Nexus 4 revealed that in specific cases and locations the Google smartphone is able to access LTE networks in the United States and Canada, numerous blog reports said.

Following global IT trends, smartphones that run on Google's Android OS has toppled Apple's iOS for the first time in Australia. Citing data from analyst firm Telsyte, The Sydney Morning Herald reported that 44 per cent of over 10 million smartphone users in Australia now use handheld units running on Android versus 43 per cent of iOS.

It is a very, merry Christmas indeed in China this December and Nokia and HTC have decided to crash the party. The two phone makers are releasing their latest handsets to the Chinese market, touted by experts to outpace the United States soon as the most lucrative place to sell gadgets.

It may not be as hot as it was but the Angry Birds fever that started three years ago remains in the right trajectory, hitting the intended marks and breaking new grounds, including a full-length movie set for theatrical showing on 2016.

Apple still impresses when it comes to gadget craftsmanship, according to Time Magazine, and for the near-to-end 2012 the highly-respected weekly publication bestowed its highest honour to the tech giant’s popular smartphone – the iPhone 5.