GigaOm Headline News Reader

No new hardware appeared at Google I/O, but a recently released phone debuts as a Nexus-like device. Meanwhile, Google updated Android, without adding further fragmentation issues, through dozens of new services, apps and APIs.    

... according to new statistics from Onavo, which tracks actual use of mobile apps and games by "millions" of iOS users.    

Sprint buyout of U.S. Cellular in Chicago and St. Louis closed Friday, and it won't keep its networks running for long. Customers can either trade in their U.S. Cellular devices with Sprint or look for a new carrier.    

Reports indicate Apple is still working out the licensing details with music publishers for its "iRadio" service.    

Meridian works with companies that want to bring detailed location awareness to their mobile apps using their Wi-Fi networks as guideposts. If you're Aruba, that's not a bad feature to have in your access points.    

Startup Re:char hopes to deliver a low cost Android gadget plug-in that can test the moisture content and fertility of soil. Kenyan farmers get ready to meet the latest in data analytics and cloud services.    

Google's support for the Bluetooth Smart Ready platform in Android is one step forward for the radio technology's dominance in the internet of things. But the Bluetooth SIG has a lot more up its sleeve.    

How do you deliver a new mobile operating system version without actually making it available for download? Give developers the tools to add new features through APIs and services: No muss, no fuss, and no additional device fragmentation.    

Google Glass is still leagues short having the thriving developer community of Android, but at I/O Google began seeding that app ecosystems with the help of six big-name web and media brands.    

Verizon's prepaid plans are still more expensive than other no-contract operators, but you can now get 2 GB of 3G data on the $60 plan and 4 GB on the $70 plan.     

Google CEO Larry Page, who has been suffering from vocal cord issues, showed up at the end of the Google I/O keynote and spent some time talking about his vision of technology and took questions from the audience. And that's when the fun started.    

The new Google Hangouts brings together all of Google's messaging services and will soon see SMS integration. So where does this leave Google Voice in the big picture?    

Devicescape says nearly one and three smartphone buyers never bother to connect their devices to their home Wi-Fi networks, but it's developed a means of luring those customers into the Wi-Fi fold.    

The world's top handset manufacturer has signed up for Telefónica's carrier billing service, which will let customers buy apps and content through the Samsung app store and charge it to their phone bill.    

Three former Microsoft employees believe clothing will be the computer, and to that end they invested three years of their lives building a sensor-infused material that they promptly turned into ... a pair of socks.    

The internet of things isn't a new idea, but it is finally becoming a reality. In this week's podcast, Adam Dunkels of ThingSquare explains what the tipping point was and how far we've come.    

The GPS Navigation & Maps app combines OpenStreetMap-based maps with turn-by-turn navigation, with everything working offline as well as online. It's a cheaper rival to TomTom and CoPilot, and one for privacy-minded Google users to consider.    

Those (like me) expecting hardware at Google I/O were disappointed. But in hindsight, Google's "merger" of Chrome and Android through services and APIs may be more important for the company's future. Hardware can always follow.    

With the next release of its WLAN software all Ruckus-built hotspots will be able to supply optional encrypted connections to any user who wanders into Wi-Fi coverage.    

As doctors prepare for an influx of new patients, PingMD, a newly-relaunched mobile app, wants to help doctors more efficiently communicate with patients and peers.     

Google is getting ready to compete with Apple in the education market in a bigger way with the launch of Google Play for Education, an Android app store for educators.     

Eight years after Google launched Maps as a beta product, the search giant is reinventing the map for a new data rich web that lives on fast broadband, and runs on computers with oomph to spare.    

A third of all smartphones activated in Q1 were on prepaid plans, a trend that historically has favored Android, according to The NPD Group. Apple, though, is starting to make in-roads into the prepaid market.    

A new service -- two years in the making -- from VMware and Verizon claims to enable true "dual persona" smart phones for enterprise use.    

Content providers will soon pay mobile carriers to exempt their traffic from consumers' mobile data plans, says AT&T's Randall Stephenson. That may seem like a good deal for consumers but in the long-term it's actually a raw deal.