RIM to lose Google’s Gmail app for BlackBerry (Canada)
Things seem to be getting from bad to worse for Canada based BlackBerry maker, Research In Motion (RIM), with Google reportedly announcing that it will no longer support the Gmail app for blackberry smartphones. According to reports, Google’s web-based e-mail app will not be supported after 22nd November; however, users who have already downloaded the app may continue to use it.
RIM has already been losing a significant amount of its market share with users preferring the Apple iPhone and the Samsung smartphones. As per sources, industry analysts claim that this move by Google is more of a signal to RIM as BlackBerry users would still be able to access their Gmail accounts on their phone’s Web browser, or by synchronizing their Google account with their BlackBerry service, but the app just makes it more convenient.
According to reports, RIM’s share of the global smartphone market fell from 15 percent for the third quarter in 2011 to 10 percent this year. Further, the handset maker witnessed a massive decline in the U.S. market alone wherein its market share fell from 24 percent to just 9 percent.
DoT considers asking Google, Skype for a decryption solution (India)
The Department of Telecommunications (DoT) is considering to ask voice over internet protocol (VoIP) service providers like Google and Skype to devise a decryption solution of their services.
The move, if implemented, will mean that the government will be able to track emails sent through Gmail as well as intercept voice calls made through Skype.
In an internal meeting with DoT, officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has told the telecom department that Google and Skype need to provide decryption of their services whenever required by the security agencies for lawful interception.
According to the DoT internal note, there was also a need to bring some parity between the Information Technology (IT) Act and the Indian Telegraph Act-1885 to deal with interception and monitoring.
A Google spokesperson stated that they have not been contacted by the government yet on this issue and thereby, they are unable to comment.
During the meeting, DoT stated that such issues may be taken up at international forums such as ITU, WTO and United Nations wherein service providers are mandated to take permission from member countries before launching new services.
The note further stated that the legal protection for business entities may have to be strengthened against consumer protection or any civilian Act, where business secrets are disclosed to government agencies due to security considerations.
Intelligence Bureau (IB) will also prepare a list of issues faced by them while monitoring services and will be jointly addressed by the department of telecom and IT.
The interception/monitoring issue cropped up after security agencies expressed concerns about intercepting highly encrypted services such as BlackBerry amongst others.
MTN Nigeria, Samsung enter data bundle partnership
MTN Nigeria has signed a strategic data bundle deal with Samsung Mobile. As per the agreement, a number of Samsung phones will be loaded with exclusive MTN bundle that offers special free downloads, voice/video calls and a free MTN SIM card.
According to Samsung Handheld Director Fady Khatib, the phones involved in the bundle offer were equipped with Google Android operating system and Google mobile services, including Gtalk, Gmail, YouTube, Google Maps and application store. The phones are also equipped with Samsung Integrated messaging solution, which supports multiple emails, IM and personal information management solutions.
He added that each phone comes with a 12-month warranty and after sales support. The trio of Samsung Galaxy 5, Samsung Galaxy S and Samsung Galaxy Tab are the three devices that will be loaded with the MTN data bundle.
He stated that the new Samsung Galaxy 5 was 3G compatible phone and it was pre-loaded with social networking applications such as Facebook and Twitter, among others. It also comes with an exclusive MTN Bundle of 750MB of free data downloads and is valid for three months. The retail price for this bundle offer is US$205.66.
Gmail,Blackberry emails can not be tracked: DoT (India)
India’s telecom regulator Department of Telecom (DoT) has revealed that Google’s Gmail and email services running on BlackBerry among 15 communication services cannot be tracked. It stated that the only option for this is to build capabilities of intelligence agencies to monitor and intercept these technologies.
According to reports citing DoT, monitoring and interception in most countries is carried out by security agencies on their own and the role of mobile operators is limited to providing feedback.
The department’s stance is in contrast to that of the home ministry, which has put the onus on mobile operators to prove that all services and facilities on their networks can be tracked on a real-time basis.
It added that the ultimate solution to deal with the problem of intercepting encrypted communication, which uses internet, is that the security agencies build capabilities of decrypting the intercepted communication. The home ministry must now decide if India should ban such communications or live with them.
Among the services listed by the DoT were video chats, internet telephony calls, mails on Motorola, Nokia and handsets running Windows Mobile.
DoT further stated that mobile phones companies cannot introduce encryption on their own, nor were they supposed to know the contents of data flowing on their networks, thus throwing the ball in the home ministry’s court.
Google offers Printing service to Android, iPhone?
Google has expanded its Google Cloud Print to work on mobile documents and Gmail for mobile. Last April, Google had launched a service that enables users to print documents from any device without having to install a dedicated printer driver in the computer.
To send a document to a printer, the user just need to open a document in Google Docs or an email in Gmail in their mobile browser and chooses “Print” from the dropdown menu in the top right corner. Users can also print certain kinds of email attachments (such as .pdf or .doc) by clicking the “Print” link that appears next to them.
This feature will be launching for English speaking users in the USA and will work on most phones that support HTML5, such as devices running Android 2.1+ and iOS 3+.
To get started, users will need to initially connect their printer to Google Cloud Print, which requires a Windows PC for the initial step. Thereafter, everything can work through the mobile phone.
Millions affected as Skype goes down
Internet phone and video service, Skype suffered an outage lasting several hours on Wednesday affecting millions of users of the Internet communications service.
According to Skype’s partly owned by web retailer EBay, some users were having problems signing on. Users in the US, Asia and Europe complained of the outage on social network site Twitter.
In its Twitter feed, the company apologized for the disruption and stated that it was investigating the cause.
Around 3.30pm EST, it alleged that the service was returning to normal, but that it may take several hours for everyone to be able to use it again.
The so-far unexplained outage, just days before the Christmas holiday, marked the latest blow to the service’s reputation.
Dropped calls and service quality have long been seen as a weak point for Skype, which offers free voice and video services between users as well as low-cost calls to landlines.
It now also faces competition from rival online phone providers such as Google, which lets its users make calls through their Gmail accounts, and high-end videoconferencing tools like Cisco Systems’s umi†service.
Mobilicity Announces Motorola Spice in Canada
Mobilicity, Canadian wireless service provider, has announced a new phone on its network- the Motorola Spice.
Exclusive to Mobilicity, the new Motorola handset powered by Android will be priced at $199.99 – a great value to consumers looking for an Android-based smartphone without a contract.
According to Motorola, Spice delivers an excellent smartphone experience with its sliding QWERTY keyboard and large multi-touch screen, which can be customized through seven home screen panels with easy access to Google Search, Google Maps with Google Latitude, Gmail and Android Market.
Users can easily view and manage content from a single application – keeping track of call histories, messages, calendar events, photos and videos, all of which can then be mapped onto a timeline on the home screen. Plus, the device has a unique rear-touch Backtrack panel that makes it possible to navigate and scroll through web sites without obstructing the screen.
The handset will soon be available at Mobilicity stores across Canada.
