After having already acquired a stake in Beats Audio, HTC is reportedly looking to expand its reach even further, with the help of a new music streaming service. That’s according to a report from GigaOM, which cites unnamed sources “familiar with the company’s plans.” These plans apparently include a new line of tablets and handsets, along with the aforementioned streaming service, to be spearheaded by Jimmy Iovine — Beats head and Chairman of Interscope Geffen A&M. Details, of course, remain scarce, but GigaOM’s sources say that the service will be included as a default client in HTC’s handsets and tablets, and that it could launch as early as this month, at Mobile World Congress. The idea, apparently, is to differentiate Peter Chow’s company from its competitors, and it’s one that’s been in the works for quite some time. Insiders say the manufacturer is planning to launch a new tablet at this year’s MWC, as well, and is reportedly working on a new, Bluetooth-controlled wireless boombox. We’ll have to wait a bit longer to see whether any of this actually plays out, but we’ll certainly be keeping close watch over it.

SOURCE via GigaOm

Gartner’s latest bundle of smartphone stats has just hit the wires, bringing with it some encouraging news for the folks in Cupertino. According to the firm’s Q4 report, Apple finished 2011 as the world’s top smartphone vendor by market share (19 percent), thanks to a Q4 that saw the company grab 23.8 percent of the market. During the quarter, Apple sold some 35.5 million handsets to end users, marking a mildly insane 121.4 percent increase from Q4 2010. This surge also helped Apple overtake LG to become the world’s third largest seller of all mobile phones, with a 7.4 percent market share last quarter, trailing only Nokia (23.4 percent) and Samsung (19.4 percent).

Nokia, in fact, saw some of its lead wither away during Q4, with sales dropping 8.7 percent over the year, to 111.7 million units. On the OS front, meanwhile, Android continues to dominate Q4 with 50.9 percent of the smartphone market, but that’s slightly down from the previous quarter, when it grabbed a little less than 53 percent. Gartner attributes some of this to increased sales of the iPhone 4S, though it expects iOS’ share to decline over the next “couple of quarters,” as fewer users upgrade to the company’s latest handset.

More than half of America’s married couples will tell you, breaking up is hard. Hard and expensive. After living in denial, dodging rumors and eventually coming to terms with the inevitable, Sony has finally taken over Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson’s 50-percent stake in the pair’s former joint venture, a move that was earlier reported to have cost €1.05 billion ($1.37 billion) to complete. The now fully Sony owned Sony Ericsson will be renamed Sony Mobile Communications, though a few of the outfit’s already announced children are keeping their papa’s name.

SOURCE via Ericsson

Yahoo may be sliding down the search engine totem pole, but the company is doing its best to climb back up, with a new space dedicated to apps. This week, Yahoo added a new “Apps” tab to its search page, giving users a new portal into both the Android Market and iTunes App Store. Results can be filtered by both price and category, with iOS and Android apps aligned in separate tabs. Once you select an app, you can download it by scanning a QR code, sending a download link to your handset, or by simply clicking through to iTunes or the Android Market. There’s also a “trending now” interface, as well as a full list of Yahoo user reviews, displayed directly within the page. Check it out for yourself, at the source link below.

SOURCE via Yahoo

Last year, Microsoft Tag shed its beta skin and stepped out into the wild world of multi-colored barcodes. Now, Redmond has decided to revamp and expand its system, with additional support for both QR codes and NFC capabilities. The update effectively allows businesses and individuals to create their own proprietary Tags or QR codes, while enabling consumers to scan said codes with their Microsoft Tag apps, or NFC-enabled smartphones. The new features are now available on Android, iOS, Windows Phone and BlackBerry handsets, reflecting Microsoft’s ambitions to dominate a space that has yet to fully develop.

SOURCE via Microsoft

Go ahead and take that holiday and even some time to celebrate because Espoo’s ushering in the new year with the stateside bow of its Lumia 710. This lower-hanging Mango phone, which we first met at Nokia World, has already begun rolling out to markets worldwide in recent weeks and, now, is poised to enter the U.S. brandishing a Magenta banner and $49 on two-year contract price. That’s right, T-Mobile has snatched up exclusive rights to the 3.7-incher, which is mostly unchanged from its initial unbranded incarnation, with the same 800 x 480 ClearBlack LCD display, 1.4GHz Qualcomm Snapdragon processor, 512MB RAM, 8GB of storage, 5 megapixel rear camera with single LED flash, WiFi and Bluetooth on board. Naturally, both parties have loaded the device up with a fair share of pre-installed apps like Drive, MS Office, ESPN, T-Mobile TV and Netflix, but you don’t have to let that clutter up your clean live-tiled look — it’s all uninstallable. The mid-range handset also runs along the operator’s HSPA+ 14.4Mbps network, so you’re in store for some heady “4G” speeds should you decide to take the plunge this January 11th when it hits stores.

It’s been a few months coming, but today, Nokia announced that its Lumia 710 handset has finally hit store shelves in Taiwan, ahead of its broader international release. Priced at around €270 (or about $332), the Mango-laced handset will arrive in stores across Singapore, Hong Kong, India and Russia over the next seven days, before expanding to other global markets “over the coming weeks.” The 3.7-inch device joins the Lumia 800 as Nokia’s latest Windows Phone offering, though it remains to be seen whether or not it’ll make its way to T-Mobile anytime soon, as earlier rumors indicated.

SOURCE via Slashgear

Google, as promised, has begun rolling out an OTA update for the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, in response to a curious volume bug affecting many European users. According to Android Central, “several” Nexus users have reported receiving the update, bundled in a package that weighs a little less than 1MB. Early reports indicate that the refresh only addresses the volume issue, though it appears to be rolling out on a piecemeal basis.

SOURCE via Android Central

Is that 2GB of free storage from Dropbox just not enough to house all of your mobile music habits? Don’t fret, as Pogoplug Cloud now offers 5GB of secure space for all your storage, sharing and streaming needs. The service offers Dropbox-esque folder sharing and automatic uploads for all those vacation pictures without time lost to manual syncing. If that’s not enough extra space for your coveted Jericho episodes (and the Season 3 comics), you can spring from the 50GB and 100GB paid plans at $9.95 and $19.95 per month. You’ll also be able to post your cloud activity, should you so desire, to Facebook, Twitter or Google+ via native smartphone apps. All of the aforementioned services are available now via the coverage link below — after you install the free Android or iOS app, of course.

SOURCE via Pogoplug

Now that we’ve seen all the leaks and heard all the rumors, RIM has finally announced the BlackBerry Bold 9790 and Curve 9380, welcoming two new members to the OS 7 family. Picking up where the Bold 9780 left off, the comparatively higher-end 9790 boasts a 2.44-inch touchscreen display with 360 x 480 resolution, and is powered by a 1GHz CPU. The QWERTY-equipped handset also ships with 8GB of onboard memory and features a microSD slot that offers up to 32GB of additional space. The Curve 9380, meanwhile, is an all touchscreen affair, with a 3.2-inch, 480 x 360 display and a five megapixel camera. RIM hasn’t offered any other details on the 9380′s specs, though the company did specify that both devices will offer NFC and augmented reality support, and will come pre-loaded with BlackBerry Messenger, Documents To Go Premium, and BlackBerry Protect. No word yet on pricing or availability, though RIM says to expect a launch “over the coming weeks.”

SOURCE via The Verge