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Last week at The Fonecast: have RIM and Samsung done enough?

Mark

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Mark Bridge writes:

What a week it was for mobile manufacturers. RIM revealed the BlackBerry 10 platform to its developers, while Samsung announced a new flagship Android phone. Both offer a number of distinctive features, with fans commending them and critics suggesting they didn’t go far enough.

The Galaxy III will undoubtedly be good for Samsung, which is now the world’s biggest smartphone manufacturer. I’d say the future isn’t quite so clear for RIM.

Elsewhere in the world of manufacturing, Microsoft created an ebook partnership with Barnes & Noble, Nokia took legal action against a handful of rivals and Motorola Mobility announced quarterly results that showed a bigger loss than last year.

Also publishing quarterly results was Everything Everywhere, which sang the praises of 4G technology and launched a 4G trial in Cumbria. Meanwhile O2 was expanding a different kind of network by introducing free WiFi to Costa coffee shops.

And how would the mobile industry like you to pay in those coffee shops?  With your mobile wallet, of course. Visa Europe says its V.me wallet for online purchases will be ready in the autumn, while MasterCard has introduced a ‘PayPass Ready’ logo to tell consumers which NFC handsets are capable of handling contactless payments in the real world.

Talking of the ‘real world’, imagine how embarrassing it would be if your CV didn’t match your actual qualifications. Spare a thought for Yahoo! CEO Scott Thompson, who’s alleged to have given himself a degree in Computer Science that he doesn’t really have. Fortunately for him, no-one noticed. Until now.

Start your week with a reminder of the latest mobile headlines. Simply register at TheFonecast.com by clicking the link at the top right-hand corner of our home page and we’ll send you this weekly news summary by email.

The Fonecast is sponsored by 51Degrees.mobi. More details about advertising and sponsorship opportunities are available on the About us section of our website.

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