toggle

AAPL Stock: 502.6 ( + 9.18 )

Subscribe to this page now.

EyeNetra app brings eye exams to smartphones

02/13, 7:25pm

Promises low-cost eye exams to poorer nations

EyeNetra, a start-up working with technology developed by the MIT Media Lab, has developed a smartphone app that promises to bring low-cost eye examinations to poverty stricken populations. The Netra-G app is used in conjunction with a hardware attachment costing less than a dollar. The system checks for nearsightedness, farsightedness, and astigmatism, and then displays a prescription for eyeglasses on the smartphone.

more

Panasonic finally stops making VCRs for home market

02/13, 7:00pm

Will still make recorders in 2 factories elsewhere

Panasonic has finally stopped making VCRs for its domestic market. The company disclosed that it ceased production of the outdated tape-based recording and playback devices at the end of last year. Once its existing inventory is exhausted, the company will stop selling the players in Japan.

more

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 may be priced too high

02/13, 6:40pm

High price may hurt sales

Earlier today, Samsung took the wraps off its new seven-inch Galaxy Tab 2. Although it did not officially disclose pricing, Sammy Hub reports that for the Scandinavian market, the Wi-Fi version of the device will be priced at between $419 and $463 USD, while the 3G model will have a cost of $523 to $568 USD. If accurate, these price-points could put the tablet at a significant price/performance disadvantage to other tablets hitting the market.

more

Huawei may add quad-core Ascend D1 Q, MediaPad 10 at MWC

02/13, 6:30pm

Huawei may have high-end phone, tablet in MWC show

Huawei's media event at Mobile World Congress may have already been spoiled early after company chairman Yu Chengdong possibly spoiled it in his Weibo profile. The February 26 Barcelona event would purportedly include the Ascend D1 Q, a presumably quad-core cousin of the Android 4.0-based Ascend P1 S. Its choice of chip wasn't mentioned, but would most likely be NVIDIA's Tegra 3 given the company's own event and other phones coming from Fujitsu and HTC.

more

Rumor pegs iPad 3 launch event for March 7

02/13, 5:10pm

iPad 3 may have firmer launch date

Apple's rumored early March iPad 3 launch event may have been narrowed down through a claim Monday. The company was said by previously accurate iMore tipsters to be currently set for March 7. It could still change, the people said, but the date was consistent both with the earlier rumor and with Apple's preferences for mid-week events.

more

10-inch BlackBerry Playbook, accessories spotted at DevCon

02/13, 4:50pm

BlackBerry PlayBook 10, docks seen early

A Czech sighting in backrooms at BlackBerry DevCon Europe has claimed to show not just upcoming accessories for the PlayBook but the rumored 10-inch PlayBook. BlackBerryCzech claimed to have seen one within several feet but was denied a chance at a photo. The design was supposedly working and left open a chance the new version might show either at Mobile World Congress this month or, more likely, DevCon Americas in May.

more

RIM gives developers free PlayBooks for two more weeks

02/13, 4:30pm

RIM extends free PlayBook offer, adds dev types

RIM has just revealed it will expand its free PlayBook promotion for Android developers by two weeks. What's more, it has expanded the offer to Native C/C++, HTML5, Adobe AIR, and Qt developers. The offer was due to end on Monday, but was extended due to the overwhelming interest, RIM said.

more

Samsung Super OLED TV may reach UK as soon as spring

02/13, 3:45pm

Samsung Super OLED TV coming to UK in spring?

Samsung's 55-inch OLED TV unveiled at CES will arrive in the UK market sometime this spring, Samsung told CNET. It had originally been expected only closer to summer. The set was very impressive at the annual electronics show in Vegas, with deep black color reproduction, rich colors, and a claimed sub-8mm thickness.

more

Xyologic: Google TV users under 4.8m, few download new apps

02/13, 2:55pm

Xyologic sees few third-party Google TV apps used

Mobile analysis firm Xyologic may have gauged the real size of Google TV's user base and shown a problem getting adoption of its support for third-party apps. Of the 64 apps exclusive to the TV-sized platform in Android market, only 4,793,300 people have one or more of these apps installed, making it possibly representative of the entire Google TV base. The number could be lower given that only 4,441,000 have the six preloaded apps on their devices.

more

Samsung: image quality would fend off possible Apple TV set

02/13, 2:15pm

Samsung thinks UI no factor in facing Apple TV set

Samsung's AV product lead Chris Moseley in an interview Monday was dismissive of the threat posed by a possible Apple TV set. In the chat with Pocket-lint, he insisted that image quality was the primary factor and that Apple wouldn't have the image scaling or "world-renowned" picture quality. He downplayed the interface and software features, normally the highlight of Apple's devices, as backseat elements.

more

Acer Iconia Tab A200 gets Android 4.0 update

02/13, 2:00pm

Iconia Tab A200 getting official Android 4.0

The Acer Iconia Tab A200 is getting an official update to Android 4.0, users on the Android Police forum have reported. The update moves the tablet from Android 3.2 to Android 4.0.3, as promised earlier. If owners didn't get an automatic notification of its availability, they can manually check by going to the System update screen in their settings menu.

more

Boxee survey raises possibility of DVR service

02/13, 1:15pm

Boxee mulling offering DVR subscription service

Boxee may be planning on introducing a subscription-based DVR service for its recently introduced Live TV tuner. This is suggested by a survey the company sent out this weekend, asking users how much they would be willing to pay for the ability to record 300 hours of TV per month. The options range from $5 to $15, though a Not Interested option is present as well.

more

TI WiLink 8.0 combo wireless chip includes NFC, drops power

02/13, 12:55pm

Ti WiLink 8 preps for NFC mobile future

TI kicked off the week with a new all-in-one wireless chip that could make NFC (near-field communications) much easier. The WiLink 8.0 is the first of its kind to build NFC into the chip alongside Bluetooth, FM radio, GNSS positioning, Wi-Fi, and even ANT+ for exercise and . It both shrinks the size of a chipset with NFC by as much as half and, as a complete design, can offload much of the work that would normally go to the main processor.

more

ThinkGeek's iCade 8-Bitty brings NES gamepad feel to iOS

02/13, 12:00pm

ThinkGeek unveils iCade 8-Bitty at Toy Fair

ThinkGeek picked the American International Toy Fair to bring out the iCade 8-Bitty, a much more portable alternative to the iCade cabinet. The wireless iPad, iPhone, and iPod touch gamepad is conspicuously styled like (though not identical to) the original NES controller with four face buttons, Select and Start, although it also has two shoulder buttons. It works with the same iCade-friendly titles, such as Atari's Greatest Hits, as well as any others wanting to use the freely available support.

more

NPD: Apple now a fifth of all US electronics revenue

02/13, 11:30am

NPD says Apple top US tech brand

Apple now represents about a fifth of all technology sales in the US, new NPD data showed Monday. By the end of 2011, 19 percent of revenue in the US was related to an Apple product. The company was now the top company selling technology in the US, topping HP, Samsung, Sony, and Dell even when the others could include their sales from all categories.

more

Purported iPad 3 back panel, Sharp LCD match up

02/13, 9:25am

iPad 3 display and shell caught together

A rare instance of investigation of leaked parts may have supported many of the rumors surrounding the iPad 3. Repair shop iLab Factory has combined both a rear shell and a new Sharp LCD and found that the display connector and screw holes for the back were meant to link up to Sharp's new screen. The same look also verified the deeper well for the rear camera and a different mount that wouldn't work with existing parts on the iPad 2.

more

Samsung unwraps Galaxy Tab 2 with Android 4.0

02/13, 8:20am

Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 tries 7-inch tablets again

Samsung has unveiled its third seven-inch tablet within a year and a half on Monday by bringing out the Galaxy Tab 2 (7.0). The design is its first Android 4.0 tablet and mostly benefits from improved responsiveness and a new app drawer, although it adds extras like Face Unlock. Hardware performance is potentially a step back from the Galaxy Tab 7.0 Plus, since it runs a 1GHz dual-core chip of an unmentioned make versus 1.2GHz on the earlier design.

more

Meijer cuts iPad 2 price to $429 for February

02/12, 11:25pm

Meijer hints at 2012 refresh with price cuts

Large US retailer Meijer has instituted an unusually steep discount on the iPad 2 that may be a further sign of clearing iPad 2 stock ahead of a refresh. All versions of the tablet sold at the store are on sale and start off with sharp price cuts even on the entry 16GB Wi-Fi model, which is down $70 to $429. The deal lasts until February 25, or nearly the rest of the month.

more

iPad seen hitting 1m in Korea as Galaxy Tab stays a minority

02/12, 7:25pm

Samsung tablets outsold by Apple in home turf

Industry insider estimates have claimed that the iPad 2 has reached the million-unit sales mark in South Korea. The milestone came after a late November 2010 launch and 700,000 iPads shipped just in 2011, leaving the remaining 300,000 to have been sold in two and a half months' time, the Korea Herald said. That number could be higher, Korean media thought, since many had bought iPads even before official approval.

more

YouTube for Google TV gets channel pages, discovery

02/12, 7:05pm

YouTube Google TV gets update

Google's big Google TV news, or part of it, may have been detailed early in news on Sunday. The Android TV platform's YouTube app is being updated with a much stronger emphasis on channels ahead of original content plans. Matching up is a new discover feature that lets viewers find content by the category rather than just the channel.

more

Google said building huge facilities for secret projects

02/12, 3:25pm

Google Experience Center would target Project X

An investigation into Google's public records has hinted that the company is planning large expansions that would be incubators for multiple secret projects. The Mercury News sleuthing found that Google was spending over $120 million in construction around its Montain Vew headquarters for both public and private work. Secret projects would reportedly play a part, including for the Android@Home wireless audio device and Google's well-known but still secretive Project X labs.

more

comScore: webmail use sinking as mobile use takes over

02/12, 2:30pm

comScore shows shift to mobile in mail

As part of a larger study, comScore has shown that e-mail is making a large shift away from the web. Among teens and those aged 18 to 24, webmail use dropped by about a third in December from where it was one year earlier. Declines also appeared among the 35 to 44 set (down one point) and 55 to 64 (by seven points).

more

Apple TV stock runs dry, fuels 1080p upgrade talk

02/12, 1:25pm

Apple TV update may join iPad 3 on stage

An upgraded Apple TV media hub might come sooner than thought after signs emerged that multiple stores ran low on stock. Amazon, Best Buy, Buy.com, Radio Shack, and Target all show the device either as out of stock or taking weeks to ship. Apple and others do have supply, but it follows a pattern of third-party resellers usually running out first.

more

Google teases 'big announcements' for Google TV on Monday

02/12, 12:45pm

Google TV gets teased update

Google made the unusual choice of a Facebook posting to hint at "big announcements" coming for Google TV on Monday. The company wouldn't give any clues as to its plans. It's unlikely to include any minor OS updates, since it recently updated to Android 3.2.

more

Saturday Night Live skewers Verizon's over-technical 4G ads

02/12, 10:00am

SNL shows troubles of modern 4G ads

Saturday Night Live made technology an unusual target after it poked fun at Verizon in a pre-recorded skit (below). A customer (Fred Armisen) comes in asking about the carrier's 4G LTE network and is barraged with an increasingly technical and nonsensical sales pitch. By the end, LTE is likened to orange juice, and Verizon is described as an "old person's nightmare."

more

Oregon Scientific's MEEP tablet brings Android to kids

02/11, 6:35pm

Oregon Scientific MEEP ruggedizes for kids

Oregon Scientific used the appropriate venue of the American International Toy Fair to dip into the still young world of tablet for kids. The MEEP is another seven-inch Android tablet, but comes hardened for the rough use common to the younger group. The shell itself is built to withstand common drops and scratches, while a rubber silicone sleeve can cushion it a step further.

more

Early shortages hit 3G iPad 2 ahead of possible iPad 3

02/11, 4:35pm

3G iPad 2 models run low at fringes

Fresh checks have shown the earliest signs that iPad 2 supply might be ramping down ahead of the iPad 3 launch rumored for the next few weeks. The 9to5 investigation pointed to sales channel sources who said supply of 3G models was "constrained" across the board. Supporting this, searches at Carphone Warehouse and Orange in the UK both had some or most of their supply as "out of stock."

more

Windows 8 on ARM won't support Flash, other plugins

02/10, 9:55pm

Windows 8 on ARM to require HTML5 for advanced web

Microsoft's Windows leader Steven Sinofsky picked an interview this week to reveal that Windows 8 on ARM wouldn't support plugins. He explained to AllThingsD that Internet Explorer on these chips, even in the regular desktop, wouldn't run Flash or any similar browser add-ins. Mobile devices were moving away from Flash as a whole, he said.

more

Amazon next Internet video shop to look at original content

02/10, 7:30pm

Amazon hires for own TV shows

Two new job listings have hinted that Amazon will be the next commercial Internet video service to produce some of its own content. Its studio division is hiring for the People's Production Company to create comedies and children's shows. Unlike its counterparts, though, it would be developing for traditional formats as well.

more

Avatron launches Air Display app for Android tablets

02/10, 6:40pm

Avatron extends its Air Display app to Android

Avatron, known for its iPad Air Display app, has now released its Air Display app for Android tablets ($10, Amazon Appstore). It allows the display of the Android device to see what's on the display of a Windows or Mac OS X system wirelessly. It can act as an extension or mirror the computer display.

more

Amazon Kindle may hit Japan in April, upset market

02/10, 5:25pm

Amazon Kindle may set foot in Japan for first time

Amazon might bring the Kindle to Japan and overturn the status quo for e-readers in the country, according to claims made Friday [account required]. Japanese business paper Nikkei heard that the mid-tier Kindle Touch would be the flagship and could come as soon as April. Pricing at 20,000 yen ($258) would be steep relative to the $150 US Kindle Touch 3G, although it would include native, free 3G through NTT DoCoMo instead of roaming on AT&T.

more

Moxi DVR retail service shutters at end of 2013

02/10, 4:55pm

Moxi stops selling DVR gear, dates end of service

After its ups and downs, the Moxi DVR hardware is slowly being phased out at retail, maker Arris announced. The hardware cannot be purchased anymore, and program guide data and technical support for the DVRs will go dead at the end of the day on December 31, 2013. Arris will focus on its partnerships with cable providers, such as with Shaw Cable in Canada.

more

USA Today slip: iPad edition downloads 7X over Android

02/10, 3:50pm

USA Today breaks down mobile app ratios

An escaped USA Today presentation has uncovered some of the real results of mobile news app downloads. GeekWire's copy showed a wide gap between downloads for the iPad and Android tablets: at over 2.9 million downloads, the iPad version had more than seven times the downloads of Android, which had 390,000 combined. The ratio on Android was heavily skewed by the Kindle Fire, which at 260,000 downloads had managed twice as much interest as every other Android tablet combined.

more

Google has mystery 'communication device' in works

02/10, 12:50pm

Blurry, mysterious Google device spotted at FCC

Google is readying to release a so-called "next-generation personal communication device," as revealed by FCC documents. The files don't reveal much, other than that both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radios are onboard and the company is getting ready to begin testing 102 of the devices in various regions in the US. The hardware is listed as being in the prototyping phase and employees in LA, Mountain View, Cambridge, and New York will test them at home.

more

AT&T gets LTE-ready micro-SIMs for Lumia 900, future iPad

02/10, 8:25am

ATT stocks first LTE micro-SIM cards

AT&T's plans for the year took a step forward Friday after a sighting of its first LTE-capable micro-SIM cards. A store contact for Phone Arena caught a briefing that sales staff were to get rid of older cards and replace them with the new versions fully capable of talking to the 4G network. The memo didn't specifically attach the cards to any one device.

more

Roku ships to UK, gets BBC iPlayer

02/10, 7:40am

Roku branches out to UK in earnest

Roku's international plans became real Friday after it began UK and Ireland. The Roku LT and Roku 2 XS are now available for £50 and £100 respectively (60 and 120 euros). British customers are simultaneously getting BBC iPlayer to catch up on the past one to two weeks of TV shows.

more

Apple rumored rounding up graphics-heavy apps to show iPad 3

02/09, 11:00pm

Apple iPad 3 keynote, apps poised to focus on LCD

More if indirect support for an early March iPad 3 launch came Thursday night through assertions that Apple was in "crunch mode" rounding up apps to demo the tablet. The rumor's sources at The Next Web had Apple stepping up the process of finding apps that would showcase the new iPad's very high resolution display. Apple was focusing on "graphics-oriented applications with high-definition assets," the tipsters said.

more

Scosche launches bassDock iPad speaker dock

02/09, 9:00pm

Features 3 speakers and adjustable arm

Scosche has brought out a special docking system for iPads. The bassDOCK can accept either first or second generation iPads in either a landscape or portrait orientation. The dock integrates a three speaker 2.1 stereo sound system as well.

more

Xbox 360 stays on top in January with 270K in tough field

02/09, 8:50pm

Xbox 360 sales drop year to year but still ahead

New NPD data has once again given the Xbox 360 the lead in console sales in the US during January, but in grim conditions. At 270,000 systems in the month, it had enough to outpace the Nintendo Wii and Sony PS3, whose sales researchers were keeping secret. However, its performance was noticeably worse than a year ago, where it had moved 381,000 systems.

more

Tips: Google silent with some partners on Android at Home

02/09, 7:35pm

Google wireless audio may come through silence

Google's apparent decision to make its own wireless audio system appears to have come after stopping at least some activity with accessory makers, according to Electronista sources. Now said to have based its work on the Android@Home technology shown at Google I/O last year, the company had been talking to accessory makers building up to the May event but grew silent not long after. The silence might not necessarily have been ubiquitous, but it suggested that Google had taken the reins to make a product of its own.

more

Google said making self-branded wireless audio system

02/09, 4:55pm

Google may tap Android at Home for own speakers

Google may be making its own wireless audio system and dipping into its own hardware, an apaprent leak uncovered Thursday. The unnamed system, purported by the Wall Street Journal to have been in the works for years, would share at least music throughout the home. It would be sold directly under Google's brand, including the speakers, but could talk to other hardware and could use a phone or tablet for control.

more

Netflix on Android gets Facebook sharing outside of US

02/09, 4:30pm

Netflix Android port gets social sharing

Netflix has updated its Android app (Market to add Facebook sharing in those countries that support it. Canada, Ireland, Latin American countries, and the UK now let viewers share what they're watching or check others' habits directly from the app. American users can't yet get access as Netflix is waiting on a bill easing video privacy permissions.

more

Verizon updates Droid Xyboard, RAZR, RAZR MAXX, more

02/09, 4:05pm

Verizon releases slew of Android updates for gear

Verizon has just released a slew of software upgrades for its Android-powered gear, including the Droid Xyboard tablets which are getting the 1.6.0M_279 update. It promises to enhance third-party pen and native touch performance, better browsing, maintaining a data connection while swapping from Wi-Fi to broadband, and in a twist now has global roaming for data. The update is nearly 84MB.

more

PS Vita First Edition Bundle gets official unboxing

02/09, 3:10pm

PS Vita First Edition bundle contents shown off

The early run of the aptly-named First Edition bundle of the PlayStation Vita has just received an official unboxing from Sony's US team. The system is due to arrive on February 15 to those who preordered it, or one week before its widespread launch in stores. Included in the bundle is a 4GB PS Vita memory card, a unique PS Vita carrying case, and a physical copy of the Little Deviants game.

more

Windows 8 on ARM to keep desktop, get Office 15

02/09, 2:15pm

Microsoft outlines Windows 8 ARM support

Microsoft's Windows lead Steven Sinofsky in an elaborate breakdown Thursday ended rumors and confirmed that Windows 8 on ARM would support a conventional desktop. Users could still have access to the file system, desktop Internet Explorer 10, and "most" other core features as their x86-running counterparts. Office 15 would carry over, too, and would have touch and power optimizations despite running in the conventional desktop space.

more

Samsung Galaxy Camera trademark hints at photo focus

02/09, 1:00pm

Samsung files for Galaxy Camera trademark

Samsung may apply its Galaxy smartphone branding to a dedicated camera if a recent trademark filing with the USPTO is any indication. The "Galaxy Camera" name it's seeking would likely involve an Android-powered compact digital camera with a significantly larger lens, perhaps similar to the Polaroid SC1630 we had a chance to check out at CES. The filing falls under the "Cameras and Camcorders" section of the patent office and therefore wouldn't be a phone.

more

TiVo HD DVR finally available from DirecTV in all of US

02/09, 10:45am

DirecTV ships TiVo HD DVR nationwide

The long-awaited and promised TiVo-enabled HD DVR from DirecTV is finally available nationwide. Previously, the set-top was only available in 10 markets. The box is unique in combining the TiVo interface and peanut remote control with DirecTV's HD content lineup.

more

Kodak to stop making cameras, end era

02/09, 9:45am

Kodak to cut original businesses to stay alive

Kodak validated rumors and said Thursday that it would stop making what most consider its core products. It plans to shut down production of still cameras, pocket video cameras, and digital photo frames within the first half of this year. The shift would leave it to inkjet printers and other photo printing.

more

Tips: Apple intros iPad 3 in early March in San Francisco

02/09, 9:15am

iPad 3 to get expected one-year anniversary launch

Apple may hew closely to the formula of its iPad launch last year for the iPad 3 if leaks Thursday are indicators. The company would use the "first week in March" to introduce the new tablet and put it on sale roughly a week later, AllThingsD heard. The event would take place in San Francisco, most likely at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts (pictured) that Apple has used for both iPad events so far.

more

Telus switches on 4G LTE February 10

02/09, 8:55am

Telus becomes 3rd Canadian carrier with LTE

Telus became the third Canadian carrier with an LTE-based 4G network on Thursday. Starting on February 10 in Halifax, the carrier will have the same 75Mbps peak download speeds and 12-25Mbps averages as the existing networks from rivals Bell and Rogers. It plans to kick off the network with the Galaxy Tab 8.9 LTE, LG's Optimus LTE smartphone, and Novatel's Ovation MC679 modem; the Galaxy Note with LTE will be available on February 14.

more

toggle

Network Headlines

MacNN Sponsor

toggle

Most Popular

10 Most Read

Recent Reviews

Logitech Cube

The world of mice could often be described charitably as stagnant: it's an endless sea of ergonomic shapes that assume you're sitting ...

NewerTech and Targus USB Hubs For Gifts

A useful holiday present to resolve an ongoing frustration is a multi-port hub. Whether as a stocking stuffer, Chanukah present, or an ...

X-Rite ColorMunki Photo

Color calibration is the art of tweaking your monitor so that the colors represented on screen better match real life and your printer ...

toggle

Most Commented

10 Most Discussed