Microsoft says it won't make its own smart phone

Microsoft has shot down rumours that it's going to make its own mobile, saying it's perfectly happy with its current partners thank you very much.

When asked in an interview with Information Week whether the software giant had plans to create a Windows Phone device bearing its own logo, Greg Sullivan, the senior marketing manager for Windows Phone responded, "No, we do not.

"We have a strong ecosystem of partners that we are very satisfied with," he said.

Those partners include companies such as HTC, Samsung, Huawei and of course Nokia, which has invested heavily in Microsoft's tile-based operating system through its Lumia series of smart phones.

Last week Microsoft lifted the lid on Surface, an iPad-bothering tablet that bears the Microsoft brand name. Powered by Windows 8, Surface is the company's effort to take the fight directly to Apple, and prompted speculation that the Xbox-maker could try the same trick with smart phones.

Microsoft administered a shin-kick to its Windows Phone customers, by revealing that existing devices running the patchwork platform won't be updated to Windows Phone 8 when it launches later this year. Even recent phones such as the Nokia Lumia 900 will be left in the dust.

Following that revelation, Microsoft may be keen to dispel any rumours before they take hold. I suspect Microsoft is also keen to keep on side its Windows Phone partners, who may have been wondering whether the company was planning on ditching their smart phones in favour of an own-brand model.

Time to play CEO -- what would you do if you were in charge of Microsoft? Tell me in the comments.

Facebook has changed your email address without telling you

Bad Facebook! In yet another sneaky change made without telling anyone, Facebook has switched the email shown on your profile, replacing your real email address with the Facebook-provided email you never use. No biscuit!

So when friends come to your Facebook profile looking to remind themselves what your email address is, they'll find your email listed as cnet.reader@facebook.com instead of the Gmail, Hotmail or Yahoo address you specified.

A small change -- and easily fixed -- but a significant one nonetheless. Facebook has taken a lot of stick for changing the way the service works, like when it introduced Timeline. But this is the first time, to our knowledge, that Facebook has changed information you supply about yourself.

I'm going to say that again: Facebook has changed the information you provide about yourselfwhich is intended to be displayed to others. That's a very big difference from changing the way you scroll through photos or moving the home page about a bit.

Imagine if Facebook changed your job title, or your name, or your photo. Not good. 

Will the change affect your day-to-day life? Probably not, unless you use your Facebook page as a contact point for people you don't know -- for work, say, in which case messages intended for an email address you actually use will be diverted to the Facebook messages system. The problem is that messages from people you don't know get filtered into the Other folder in your Facebook messages, without notifying you.

How do I fix this? Couldn't be simpler, old chum: click on your name in the top right, click About on the left under your profile picture, scroll down to the Contact Info box and click Edit. Next to each set of your details, there are two drop-down boxes specifying who can see each bit of data and whether it gets displayed on your timeline. Change your @Facebook.com address to Hidden from Timeline, and click Save at the bottom. Done!

Is this another sneaky move from Facebook or did we sign away our privacy the moment we signed up? Tell me your thoughts in the locked-down comments.

New iPhone could pack NFC for mobile payments with Passbook

The next iPhone could come with NFC tech built-in, making it possible to pay for things using your Apple-branded blower.

9to5Mac has been digging around in code taken from iPhone prototypes, and reports to have discovered near-field communication controllers hooked up to the device's power management unit.

That suggests Apple's next rectangular playthings could come with NFC hardware on board, letting you transfer data between devices with ease, or pay for fancy Pret sandwiches by smacking your smart phone against in-shop pay points.

NFC has been cropping up on Android smart phones, most notably the Samsung Galaxy Nexus, which uses NFC to transfer files between phones and could work with Google Wallet -- Google's mobile payment system.

Microsoft recently touted its own NFC payment system for Windows Phone 8, inventively called Wallet. Card details are stored on your phone, and then cash is taken from that account when you wave your mobile at the till.

Code-based hints aside, there's good reason to think Apple will stick NFC in the iPhone 5. Tim Cook and cohorts recently showed off Passbook, a new app that stores digital tickets, boarding passes, coupons, vouchers and so on. NFC isn't required to use Passbook, but it could work with it, and it's a sign that Apple has your personal finances in mind.

UK network Orange has also hinted that Apple could be considering the technology for its sixth smart phone.

NFC hasn't really taken off yet, so if Apple wants to muck in, the pressure will be on for it to persuade shops to adopt the technology, and get the ball rolling.

Of course, if Apple does choose to stick an NFC chip in the iPhone 5, don't expect the company to refer to it as such -- I'm envisioning a new service called 'Cash', 'Shrapnel' or possibly, er, 'iMoolah'. Maybe.

Would you use your phone to pay for stuff in shops? Or would you rather keep your hard-earned inside a good old-fashioned wallet? Let me know in the comments.

RIM poised to flog BlackBerry business, reports reckon

BlackBerry-maker RIM could be about to make the radical move of selling its handset business, a report in the Sunday Times suggests (paywall link).

The ailing company is reportedly considering splitting itself into two companies, with one division handling handsets and the other taking charge of the company's popular messaging network.

RIM could then flog the device-devising department to another corporation. Amazon and Facebook are both mentioned in the report as "potential buyers", though no source for the information is mentioned.

Facebook is rumoured to be be beavering away on a phone of its own, so might be interested in snapping up RIM's keyboard-touting wares, which are still popular among business types andyounglings.

RIM has reportedly hired two banks to investigate the potential split, which would see a newly formed second company taking charge of RIM's messaging tools, which send secure emails and would presumably encompass BBM, the popular BlackBerry-bound instant messaging service.

That part of the company could make a tempting acquisition for rivals like Apple or Google.

Activist investor Jaguar Financial is quoted as saying it "strongly supports" breaking RIM up into two separate entities, with the Canadian company's patent portfolio another tempting asset that could be sold off.

Another option is said to be keeping the company together, but selling a stake to a bigger company, such as Microsoft. The report reckons RIM will reveal its strategy at the end of the summer, so we may not have long to wait.

The question over what RIM does with the various bits of its company highlight the fact that it does own some potentially valuable tools -- it just hasn't been able to assemble them into a compelling smart phone or tablet.

BlackBerry 10 software is on the horizon, and is reckoned to debut on a touchscreen-only phone. Could a fresh operating system turn things around for RIM? Or is more drastic action needed? Let me know in the comments.

Sony making Project Glass rival specs, share data by ogling

Sony is working on its own digital glasses to rival Google's Project Glass, according to a patent.

Like Google's specs, a built-in camera captures all your goings-on. What's unique is the ability to share info by looking at someone else wearing the same specs. That's right, to send personal info through transmitters, you have to ogle someone, which could prove a little uncomfortable. Stare to share, anyone? 

But it's not all social awkwardness. The glasses should also be able to pick up info from visual tags on posters, products, websites, and anything else. Like a more advanced form of QR code.

A microphone and speakers hint the glasses could be voice-activated as well, just like Google's Project Glass.

The glasses connect to a watch to share info too, though gadget watches have never really taken off. I love the idea of digital specs though. Maybe the 21st century will finally start living up to its promises. 

Google's Project Glass specs layer augmented reality info onto your real world view. Here they are in action. They're Internet-enabled as well, keeping you connected while out and about without having to use your phone. It's early days, with Google saying it'll be a while before they're ready to go on sale. Though some experts doubt they're even practical.

Microsoft is also working on its own digital glasses, revealed by a leaked document. Named Project Fortaleza, they're thought to connect over Wi-Fi and 4G, and to be predominantly for use with Kinect gaming. Though you will be able to use them away from the console too, which sounds far more interesting.

Will digital glasses ever replace mobiles? Or are they just fanciful concepts? Let me know in the comments.

Mozilla promises 'something big' for Android announcement

Mozilla has an announcement to make at next week's Google development conference, and if the teaser's anything to go by, it should be a major update to its Firefox Android browser.

"Fast. Smart. Safe." That's what it promises, alongside the Firefox logo on a phone screen, with the Android guy behind the handset. It also took to Twitter to let us know what's happening,Android Central reports.

"#Firefox for #Android. Something BIG is coming your way next week," reads the tweet, along with a link to the image on Flickr.

These keywords hint Mozilla will be touting new speed and security features in its latest version of Firefox for Android. Mozilla hasn't been the quickest on Android, with minor updates trickling out. The Firefox 10 update in January still wouldn't support Flash, which shows just how behind the times Mozilla can be.

But taking its time usually works in its favour. A few days ago Mozilla showed off Junior, its first browser optimised for iPad. And far from a botch job of slapping a mobile browser onto a bigger screen, Mozilla has used the strengths of the iPad in completely new ways. "We wanted to create something entirely new," said Mozilla's Alex Limi, and it looks like it's done so.

Junior is a full-screen browser, with no navigation bar cluttering up the screen. Two buttons flank the page: a back button, and one that brings up a screen with recent sites, favourites, and a URL/search bar. Everything you need to get around, in other words.

Mozilla also recently updated its Dolphin HD browser for Android, giving it a speed boost, so I'm expecting something similar for Firefox.

What would you like to see from a Firefox update? What's your mobile browser of choice? And what would Mozilla have to do with Junior to outdo Safari on the iPad? Let me know in the comments.

Judge throws out entire Apple vs Motorola case

And that is that. A judge has thrown out the Apple vs Motorola case. Judge Richard Posner had tentatively dismissed it a couple of weeks ago, but now he's done so in its entirety.

Apple had alleged Motorola had violated four of its patents, with Motorola claiming one in return,The Verge reports. The case has been going on since 2010, so this is quite a big deal.

Posner dismissed it because neither side could prove how much money the alleged patent infringements have cost them. And with both companies asking for financial compensation, it'd be pointless blocking products from sale.

"Both companies have deep pockets," Posner says in his 38-page decision. "And neither had acknowledged that damages for the infringement of its patents could not be estimated with tolerable certainty."

Apple declined to comment, but Motorola said in a statement: "We are pleased that Judge Posner formally dismissed the case against Motorola Mobility. Apple's litigation campaign began with their attempt to assert 15 patents against us. As it relates to Apple's violation of our patents, we will continue our efforts to defend our own innovation."

Apple could appeal, but I don't fancy its chances. Judge Posner warned Apple's lawyers about filing too many motions last month, so he's not one for shilly-shallying.

The patent disputes have spanned both sides of the Atlantic, with Motorola succeeding in having some Apple devices banned from sale in Germany. Though that was overturned pretty quickly. Apple won the dispute over the slide-to-unlock patent though, with Motorola infringing on its devices except for the Xoom.

I think the ruling is good news, as hopefully it'll dissuade companies from firing writs at each other at the drop of a hat. Now Apple and Google (which owns Motorola) can get back to making great products.

What do you reckon? Let me know in the comments.