Samsung hires Android hacker ‘Cyanogen’
While some device vendors are stockpiling patents, others are hunting down talent, as competition in the mobile handset space heats up. It was revealed this week that Samsung Mobile has hired one of the homebrew market’s most notorious and successful Android hackers, Steve ‘Cyanogen’ Kondik. Kondik is best known as the creator of the CyanogenMod for Android, an after market customised firmware bringing new features and functionality to the Android platform.
Telecoms.com

US carriers missing $16bn SME opportunity, says consultancy
The US telecom industry could be missing out on as much as $16bn in annual revenues by failing to properly address the needs of SMEs, according to research released recently by consultancy Inzenka. The firm warned that telcos are not offering SME customers leading edge VoIP and cloud services that could enable the customers to improve their own efficiencies, at the same time boosting carrier revenues.
Telecoms.com

Running robot clocks 6.8 miles per hour
After three years of "training", including broken limbs, the gold medal for "the world's fastest bipedal robot with knees" is to be hung around the neck of a robot called MABEL. The creation of a team of engineers at the University of Michigan, MABEL has just clocked a record of 6.8 miles per hour, but it's been a tough training regime to get the robot from walking smoothly to running like a human.
Wired.co.uk

Teachers ‘fear Facebook more than Ofsted’
Facebook, Twitter and other social media websites pose a “devastating” threat to schools and are a “bigger fear than Ofsted”, the National Association of Head Teachers’ General Secretary has told the Telegraph. Russell Hobby was responding to a study by the University of Plymouth, released earlier in the week, which said teachers are increasingly being targeted by parents on Facebook and Twitter who see them as "fair game for abuse".
Telegraph.co.uk

GSMA to target brand marketers at MWC 2012
The GSMA revealed the new component alongside an expanded keynote programme and the return of App Planet for the 2012 GSMA Mobile World Congress, which will be held February 27th to March 1st at the Fira de Barcelona Montjuic in Barcelona.
Mobile Entertainment

Vringo launches Facetones with Nokia
Facetones is the latest iteration of a video ringtone idea that Vringo has been cultivating for years. It integrates with Facebook and activates an automated video slideshow using friends’ photos from social media and photo sites. The products can be downloaded from the Ovi store for purchase or in an ad-supported version. Chanse Arrington, head of developer marketing at Nokia, said, “Nokia's mission is simple, ‘connecting people.’ As such, we are pleased that Vringo’s Facetones service provides an avenue for mobile social connections in new and exciting ways.
Mobile Entertainment

RIM Offers Free SMB BlackBerry Management Suite
RIM has launched BlackBerry Management Center, a free online service for small businesses to centrally manage BlackBerry handsets in their workforces. The service is designed for businesses with up to 100 BlackBerry smartphones that access email services from an internet service provider (ISP) or web-based email services like Gmail, Hotmail, and Yahoo!, says RIM.  "We are pleased to introduce RIM's latest cloud service designed specifically for small businesses," says Alan Panezic, VP of enterprise product management at RIM. "BlackBerry Management Center is a free service and an effective way to manage and support employees' BlackBerry smartphones in the cloud."
Mobile Marketing Magazine

Sony slashes PlayStation 3 price
Sony has announced a significant global price cut for the PlayStation 3 console. At the Gamescon 2011 keynote SCEE President Andrew House confirmed that the 160GB model will now cost €249 in the EU and $249 in the United States. Although there was no mention of a price cut in good old sterling, Amazon and Dixons responded by dropping the price of both the 160GB and the 320GB models as Sony's conference began.
TechRadar

Google/Moto deal could cause mobile shakeup
Google’s planned US$12.5 billion acquisition of Motorola has created numerous aftershocks across the mobile industry, sparking debate into how the deal will change relationships among the various participants in the ecosystem. The Financial Times (FT) reports that Nokia, which adopted Microsoft’s Windows Phone as its smartphone platform of choice earlier this year, said the deal “could prove to be a massive catalyst for the Windows Phone ecosystem.” There was some speculation that the deal could see Nokia become more attractive as a target, with an analyst with Nordea Bank telling Bloomberg that in comparison with Motorola, “there is quite a bit more on the table and yet there is little difference between the valuations of the two companies.” However, with Microsoft widely seen as the most likely acquirer of Nokia, it was noted that the companies already have a strong partnership and that Microsoft has significant patent holdings of its own – making an acquisition less likely.
Mobile Business Briefing

Report: Nokia facing Chinese distribution breakdown
Nokia’s distribution channels in China are “breaking down,” with resellers nationwide beginning to refuse shipments for the first time, Marbridge Daily reports. It said that the vendor failed to anticipate demand at the end of 2010, leading to a “serious shortage” of stock. This meant that some orders were not met until early in 2011, and that while late shipments arrived at reseller and distributor warehouses, these “were never sold on to customers.” This meant that while Nokia’s own numbers were saved, “few resellers or distributors turned a profit.” In addition, with demand for Nokia products tailing off, the time taken to clear stock has “gradually lengthened,” with “little optimism” that the situation will improve.
Mobile Business Briefing