The Glider

Verizon's deal with three cable companies will turn competitors into partners, which could hurt consumers, according to U.S. Sen. Al Franken. The FCC has agreed to hold a hearing. - The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has once again been asked to protect the rights of smartphone-toting consumers from big-business spectrum deals. Following AT amp;T's nine-month process of trying to convince the FCC that allowing it to purchase T-Mobile would benefit Americans, it's n...

Google takes the covers off Bouncer, an automated scanning service that checks new and existing apps on Android Market for malware. - Malicious hackers trying to circulate malware-tainted applications on Android Market are going to find Google's Bouncer at the door, preventing undesirable apps from getting in and kicking out troublemakers. Bouncer has been monitoring the Android Market for several months already, and Google ...

Google's Android OS finished 2011 with 47.3 percent U.S. smartphone market share, according to comScore. No. 2 Apple iOS garnered 29.6 percent share, thanks to the iPhone 4S. - Google's (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android smartphone market share topped 47.3 percent, closing 2011 nearly 18 percentage points higher than No. 2 Apple's iOS in the United States, according to comScore. While Android's share rose from 46.9 percent in November, it is iOS that finished the year on a stro...

Vocalabs reports AT&T beat Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile in customer satisfaction, while a J.D. Powers study found Verizon to be tops, with the others following at a distance. - AT amp;T, which rated lowest of the four major carriers in a recent J.D. Powers and Associates customer care survey, would like to direct your attention to an also-recent Vocalabs National Customer Service Survey (NCSS), in which it came out on top. In the face of satisfaction declines among its co...

If Apples incredibly strong iPad sales during the fourth quarter told industry observers anything, its that the companys tablet was far and away the most-desired slate of 2011. Part of that might be due to the fact that the tablet didnt face much serious competition. But its also due to the quality consumers and even some enterprise users found in the device. But 2012 is a new year with a host of opportunities for every tablet maker. Every major firm, from Apple and Samsung to RIM and Amazon, has a chance at becoming the top tablet maker of the year. However, theyll need to achieve that by delivering all the features that consumers and enterprise customers are looking for in their tablets. Theyll also need to promote the products effectively to make sure the world knows about the features and components that can make their models real contenders. This eWEEK slide show examines some of the key factors that will determine 2012s tablet king. And unfortunately for Apples competitors, it appears the iPad has a long head start. - ...

The SharePlus suite, which includes a free version of the app, is available for iPhone, Android and BlackBerry devices. - Infragistics, a user experience software company and a specialist in user interface development tools, announced the acquisition of SouthLabs, developers of SharePlus, the mobile SharePoint app. Through the acquisition, Infragistics said it intends to expand its business solutions further into the e...

Managed Workplace allows MSPs to collect asset information, remotely configure devices, track location and restrict user access. - Remote monitoring and management (RMM) solutions provider Level Platforms, which markets its products toward managed service providers, introduced Mobile Device Management (MDM) as a new feature in the imminent release of Managed Workplace 2012. With MDM, service providers can manage and monitor...

A "worrying number" of Facebook users are sharing a link to a malware-laden fake CNN news page reporting the U.S. has attacked Iran and Saudi Arabia, security firm Sophos said Friday.

A Hungarian hacker who attempted to extort money from Marriott International Inc. by stealing confidential data from its computers and threatening to expose it was sentenced to 30 months in prison.