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News

• Samsung's Galaxy Grand twin-SIM phone has a 5-inch screen

  Samsung Electronics' Galaxy Grand smartphone has a 5-inch screen -- but the big display seems aimed at those with smaller budgets, according to an analyst.

• Android botnet abuses people's phones for SMS spam

  In a new twist, spammers have built a botnet that sends SMS spam through infected Android phones, shifting the potentially pricey cost of sending spam to victims.

• Android botnet abuses people's phones for SMS spam

  In a new twist, spammers have built a botnet that sends SMS spam through infected Android phones, shifting the potentially pricey cost of sending spam to victims.

• Facebook debuts speedier Android app

  Facebook has launched a new version of its app for Android smartphones that promises users speedier access to their messages, timeline and news.

• Mobile payments startup iZettle expands to Spain

  Swedish mobile payments startup iZettle has expanded its territory to Spain, and is now available in seven European markets.

• Microsoft secures Android patent agreements from two more vendors

  Two more Android vendors have agreed to pay Microsoft licensing fees in response to the company's claims that Google's free mobile OS contains Microsoft patented technology.

• Japan's Hulu to charge viewers through their phone bills

  Japan's Hulu, the only international arm of the popular U.S. video streaming service, is trying to lure mobile viewers with the option to pay through their monthly phone bills.

• Top 10 tech stories of 2012: a busted IPO, spotlight on workers, titans in transition

  Change in any industry involves conflict. Evolution and revolution in tech this year took place not only in the marketplace but also in the courtroom, the factory, and on the Web. Here are the top news stories of 2012 as selected by the editors of the IDG News Service.

• Metaio hopes to simplify creation and upgrade of augmented reality apps

  The latest version of Metaio's development tool Creator will make it easier to add new content to augmented reality, thanks to the company's cloud platform.

• Huawei invests €70 Million in Finland to build better smartphones

  Huawei Technologies will invest €70 million (US$90.6 million) over a five-year period to establish a research and development center in Helsinki, Finland; its first task will be to build software for smartphones and tablets based on Android and Windows Phone 8.

• Android update brings Notes problems that IBM will fix next week

  IBM plans to issue fixes early next week for glitches that have hit Notes users who upgraded to the latest version of Google's Android OS.

• Judge pleads for 'global peace' in Apple-Samsung fight

  At the end of a long court hearing in California on Thursday that saw Apple and Samsung argue over a US$1 billion damages award granted to Apple this summer, Judge Lucy Koh had a simple yet optimistic request: global peace.

• Apple, Samsung head back to court on Thursday

  Apple and Samsung will return on Thursday to the San Jose courtroom where they battled over cell phone patents earlier this year, and Apple subsequently won damages of $1.05 billion.

• Orange to install Lookout security software on Android devices

  Mobile network operator Orange will install Lookout's Mobile Security application on some of the Android-based tablets and smartphones it distributes starting in 2013, aiming to protect millions of subscribers in the first year alone.

• Richer maps experience coming to third-party Android apps

  Google is offering Android application developers a chance to use some of the advanced mapping features it had previously made available only on Google's own applications.