in Other News: 18/03/2013.

• Motorola Droid 4 users on Verizon you can expect Android 4.1 Jelly Bean to be heading your way soon! Verizon has updated the support page to reflect the enhancements from the update which you can see here. Otherwise it's Jelly Bean as you would expect complete with Google Now and that Project Butter smoothness!
  Via AndroidCommunity.

• ST-Ericsson lost their CEO the other day and now they have announced that the venture will not be going much further. Around 1,600 jobs will be lost and you can find a lot more details at the source link below!
  Via Engadget.

• Sometimes it's good to follow the polls on other sites and PhoneArena's 'Do you care about viewing angles?' is a very good debate! So the guys found that 51% of respondents didn't care about the viewing angles on their phone, whereas only 48% said it was an indicator of superior technology and they want good angles. Where do you stand in that debate?
  Via PhoneArena.

• EA's CEO John Riccitiello has stepped down citing his personal accountability as the reason for his company missing operational targets.
  Via Reuters.

• Talking of EA, for those of you who have been affected by the shoddy SimCity launch you can have your choice of: Battlefield 3, Bejeweled 3, Dead Space 3, Mass Effect 3, Medal of Honor Warfighter, Need for Speed Most Wanted, Plants vs. Zombies, and SimCity 4 Deluxe Edition as part of EA's apology!
  Via TheVerge.

• Digitimes is reporting that Asus will produce a new phone with a screen between  and 5.5" which will be powered by one of Intel's brand new dual-core chips! On top of that there's also rumours of a Nexus 7 refresh!
  Via AndroidCommunity.

• Gmail for Android has been updated to include the 'archive' and 'reply' features direct from the notification bar! Head to the Play Store on device and demand that immediate update!
  Via AndroidCommunity.

And finally, have you got a Windows Phone 7.8 or 8 phone? Well you might be pleased to know that your phones are guaranteed for 18 months of updates, which is Microsoft's promise! Ironically though Windows Phone 8 started its life on December 14th 2012and so official support ends on August 7th 2014. Whereas Windows Phone 7.8 launched on February 9th 2013 and so ironically it will be supported longer, into September 2014.

Via Engadget.

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In Other News: 11/03/2013.

• According to a Nokia filing with the SEC the Finnish company is starting to become concerned with the possibility that Microsoft may be making, "strategic decisions or changes that may be detrimental to us. For example, in addition to the Surface tablet, Microsoft may broaden its strategy to sell other mobile devices under its own brand, including smartphones. This could lead Microsoft to focus more on their own devices and less on mobile devices of other manufacturers that operate on the Windows Phone platform, including Nokia." Surface phone on the way?
  Via ZDNet.

• Rovio's CEO, Mikael Hed, has said that:
  "With over 1.7bn downloads, we can reach a far wider and more engaged global audience than traditional distribution would allow. Launching the channel, and partnering up with some of the best video-on-demand providers and TV networks, is an important milestone for us on our journey towards becoming a fully fledged entertainment powerhouse."
  It's amazing how far Rovio have taken this series and it seems they still have grand plans in the pipeline!
  Via Guardian.

• It seems that those rumours that Lenovo is interested in buying Blackberry just won't go away! PhoneArena is reporting that the Chinese giants potential acquisition 'could make sense', but we'll have to wait and see on that one!

• A new study called "Convert Anything to Calories" from PHP Science World has worked out just how much energy it takes to operate you computer's mouse! The guys worked it out to being somewhere in the region of 1.42 calories burned per mouse click! That's not quite spot on because that figure assumes you 'completely' contract your muscle, so if you don't the figure is slightly less, but still you can burn a fair few calories that way!
  Via Slashgear.

• Bare with us for a minute while we explain this next (or should we say NXT) one...There have been some rumours that Motorola's supposed X-phone has been pictured and there's a spec sheet which goes with this picture too. Basically we don't want to expand because we think these are very outlandish claims! Feel free to check them out at the sourcelink below though!
  Via UnwiredView.

• The LG Optimus L5 II and the L3 II have both popped up on O2's coming soon page! The pair of devices are currently slated to land this month, but there's no word on pricing or availability!
  O2 Via TheInquirer.

• Calling all comic fans! You can currently download 700 Marvel Comics for free via the Comixology app for iPhone/iPad and Android devices! The offer runs until 4am 13 March GMT!
  Via PocketLint.

• ST Ericsson's CEO, Didier Lamouche, has resigned from his post! At the moment there's no word on a successor or what's next for the company, we'll let you know what the chipmaker does next!
  Via PCAdvisor.

• Mozilla’s VP of Products, Jay Sullivan, has confirmed that his company will not be building another version of Firefox for iOS. Part of this is attributed to the draconian attitudes towards third-party browsers, but with Firefox OS being launched lately, Mozilla have more on their proverbial plate at the moment!
  Via HotHardware. 

And finally, would you consider selling your smartphone's lock-screen to advertisers for $25 a month? That's what SmartAds pledges to do for you! The company is currently trying to raise some money via an IndieGoGo campaign, but it's looking unlikely they'll reach their goal. That's actually a shame because we like the idea and we think for $25 a month, we would offer our lock screen! Anyway check the video below for a little bit more detail and let us know what you think in the comments below!

Via MobileBurn.

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