News Archive for Today

Choose an article from the archive listing on this page or refine your selection using the controls in the gray box below.

Lumia 925 images leak while Nokia teases London launch event

05/13, 12:34pm

Catwalk smartphone with aluminum case tipped for unveiling

An image reported to be of the Lumia 925 has appeared online, just one day before Nokia's London-based press event. The leaked photograph comes at the same time as Nokia starts to tease a new smartphone via advertisements on British TV, seemingly showing a device that could possibly be the long-rumored Lumia 'Catwalk.'

France considering new 'culture tax' on technology products

05/13, 12:20pm

May heighten tensions over tax avoidance in EU countries

French President Francoise Hollande is considering a new tax on tech products, the money from which would fund cultural projects. The move, which would be decided this summer and has been described as "minimal and widely distributed," may increase tensions between tech companies and the government of France -- along with other EU countries, many of which have complained that firms such as Apple and Google are gaming the system in order to avoid paying taxes that would normally be due.

Amazon launches Coins virtual currency in US for Appstore purchases

05/13, 11:37am

Kindle Fire, Kindle Fire HD owners receive 500-coin gift

Amazon has launched its virtual currency in the United States, and has provided Kindle Fire owners with an initial credit on their accounts. The 500 Amazon Coins, valued at $5, can be used to buy apps from the Amazon Appstore as well as in-app items, along with an incentive to continue buying packs of the virtual currency instead of usual cash transactions.

Bill Gates emotionally details final meeting with Steve Jobs

05/13, 11:18am

Friends and rivals discussed family, history, future

An unaired portion of a 60 Minutes interview with Bill Gates saw the founder of Microsoft in an unusually reflective state when questioned by interviewer Charlie Rose on the topic of the late Apple co-founder and CEO Steve Jobs, his friend and rival. Jobs met with Gates for an extended period very near the end of his life, an unusual concession to a colleague he had had a tumultuous relationship with over the decades. Gates said the two men had "grown up together," each building the computer industry in their own image.

ABC to stream live TV broadcasts to mobile apps this week

05/13, 9:58am

Live Button rolls out to viewers in New York, Philadelphia first

Broadcaster ABC is said to be updating its iOS app to offer live streams of shows from local ABC stations later this week. New options for a "Live" button in the Watch ABC app for iPhone and iPad will mark it as the first major US broadcaster that provides live streams of its channels to app users, with the first markets to gain the service being New York and Philadelphia.

Hacked T-Mobile carrier file boosts iPhone 5 download speed

05/13, 9:30am

Does not require jailbreaking, doubles throughput rates

An altered carrier update that has been modified by two hackers successfully increases the bandwidth available for iPhone 5 units on T-Mobile's US network, tests have found. The patch to the carrier update file, which was originally distributed to add LTE signal to the iPhone 5 using T-Mobile's 1900MHz band, works on both unlocked AT&T units as well as "native" T-Mobile iPhone 5 devices without requiring a jailbreak, though instructions vary for customers using jailbroken iPhones.

Galaxy S4 Active turns up for Bluetooth certification

05/13, 8:36am

Ruggedized Galaxy S4 variant heads to Bluetooth SIG for certification

The anticipated ruggedized version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 has appeared for certification at the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The device had previously been alluded to by a Samsung executive who said that it would be releasing a device with water and dust resistance along the lines of the Sony Xperia Z and ZR. Its appearance on the Bluetooth SIG site is indicative that it is set to join the ever expanding range of Samsung Galaxy products in the next couple of months.

Sony rolls out SBH20, stereo Bluetooth earphones

05/13, 8:02am

Sony adds new SBH20 stereo Bluetooth earphones to range

In tandem with the launch of the Sony Xperia ZR, Sony has rolled out a iPod shuffle inspired pair of stereo Bluetooth earphones. The new SBH20 uses a small shuffle-like case to enclose a Bluetooth 3.0 receiver and rechargeable battery, while also function as a remote control for a connected smartphone or other Bluetooth-enabled device. The SBH20 incorporates a clip that users can use to pin to their clothing, minimizing the amount of cabling while allowing the connected device to remain stored in a backpack or handbag.

Sony trials 13.3-inch e-ink reader, stylus in Japanese universities

05/13, 7:51am

Aims to replace paper with touchscreen e-ink display for note taking

Sony has been working on a device for using e-ink as digital paper in an educational setting. Aimed at universities as a replacement for pen and paper-based notetaking by students, the prototype is a 13.3-inch, 1200x1600-resolution, 16-level gray scale e-ink display-as-tablet with touchscreen capabilities, as well as stylus input for drawing and writing.

Sony makes Xperia ZR official, quad-core, 4.6-inch display

05/13, 7:04am

Sony Xperia ZR delivers Xperia Z performance in a 4.6-inch package

Sony has revealed the latest addition to its smartphone lineup for 2013, the Xperia ZR. Like its 5-inch Xperia Z stable mate, the Xperia ZR is notable for its built-in water and dust resistance, rated at IP55 and IP58 respectively. Yet at the same time, it packs the same quad-core Snapdragon S4 found in the larger Xperia Z into a more compact, 4.6-inch device.

Samsung aims for 5G launch by 2020, 1GHz speed achieved in tests

05/13, 6:45am

Speed of 1GHz reached in 2-kilometer test, could rise by 2020

While carriers around the world are still working on their 4G LTE network deployment plans, the next generation of cellular networks is being worked on by Samsung. The manufacturer has announced it has developed an adaptive array transceiver technology, which will apparently form the core of 5G networks by 2020.

Samsung Galaxy S4 appears in blue, S4 Mini photographs leak

05/13, 4:53am

Images show slight size difference between full-size Galaxy S4 and Mini

The Samsung Galaxy S4 will be available in an extra shade of blue, according to a Japanese carrier's promotional material. The images from DoCoMo arrive at the same time as other photographs that claim to show the Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini, something which has been suggested as launching at some point this month.