“The Fairphone 2 could be taken apart in under two minutes,” says Mr Lesse. “There were models where you didn’t even need tools to take the display off in order to replace it yourself.” Fairphone customers range from programmers who have been drawn to the software possibilities of the phones, to consumers in search of… Read more »

BlackBerry Ltd. says it has agreed to sell its non-core patents to Catapult IP Innovations Inc. for $600 million (U.S.) The company says Delaware-registered Catapult was formed specifically to acquire the patents, with funding from a group of lenders led by Toronto-based Third Eye Capital that also includes an unnamed Canadian pension fund. Waterloo, Ont.-based… Read more »

Samsung is feeling the chill from cooling global demand for smartphones.The South Korean technology giant said Friday that it expects operating profit for the first quarter to plunge by 60% compared to the same period year ago.Samsung (SSNLF) warned last week that its earnings would be hit by slowing demand for memory chips and display panels, a sign that… Read more »