British carrier O2 has released a new app for Android and iOS called O2 Tracks, which allows users to listen to the U.K.’s official top 40 singles to their smartphone. It’s available to download now from the App Store and Google Play, and O2 customers can enjoy the service for just £1 ($1.56) per week.
You know about Magnetyze, right? It’s a system that lets you charge an iPhone 4/S or Galaxy S3 without the need for a cord. Pop your iPhone into the provided case, then drop the case on the magnetic charging base and your iPhone will charge (and sync) — it works kind of like the MagSafe power adapter on a MacBook. It’s really cool on the S3, because the Magnetyze case replaces the S3’s original back, so there’s almost zero extra bulk. Neat.
Google has two founders — and a split personality.
There’s the Sergey Google — the idealistic, Google Glass wearing, Vibram-loving Google where a campus full of brainy geeks invent the future.
Then there’s the Larry Google — the pragmatic, realist Google where starry-eyed optimism is balanced with sound business sense and smart strategic investment, enabling the company to adapt and grow in a changing global marketplace.
Should Google “Larrify” its Android policy and start denying Android access to companies that Google finds harmful to the world — and its business?
Amazon has topped a poll for the best reputation among 14,000 U.S. consumers, narrowly beating Apple who was last year’s number one. The retail giant achieved an 82.62% positive reputation, according to research firm Harris Interactive, while Apple achieved 82.54%. Google nabbed fourth place with a vote of 81.32%.
Samsung EVP David Eun, who is currently part of the company’s Open Innovation Center, believes the ongoing litigation between Apple and Samsung is “a loss” to innovation. Eun was probed for his opinion on the subject during an interview today at the D:Dive Into Media conference in Dana Point, California, and although he wouldn’t say much about the ongoing battles between the two consumer tech giants, he made it clear that he didn’t approve of it.
The Nike Fuelband was one of my favorite gadgets last year. It tracks all your movement to help you stay in shape. It syncs everything with your iPhone. Plus, it looks pretty freaking cool.
Nike Fuelband is part of the wave of futuristic wearable fitness devices. In a couple of years we’ll all have something like it, but for now, the Nike Fuelband only syncs with your computer or iPhone. There’s no Android app, and according to Nike, you shouldn’t hold your breath waiting for one.
How happy are you with your smartphone? According to a survey of 92,825 smartphone user in the United States, the Motorola Atrix HD delivers the most satisfaction with an impressive 8.57 out of ten. Another Motorola device, the Droid RAZR M, is ranked second with 8.5 out of ten, while the iPhone 5 is ranked fifth with just 8.23 out of ten.
As video surveillance goes, Netgear’s VueZone system is about as easy and user-friendly as it gets. But does VueZone sacrifice power and performance for ease-of-use? We tested the two-camera system, which cam with two motion-detecting cameras, four magnetic mounts and the master gateway for $290. It also came with a one-month trial subscription to the Premier service subscription; the no-frills Basic service, which allows you to montitor up to two cameras remotely from your computer, is free.
Michael T. Jones has a helluva fun job. He’s the Chief Technology Ambassador for Google, and as such, he not only gets to work for one of the coolest companies in the world, he also gets to cruise around the world and tell people why Google is so darn awesome.
When it comes to Apple, you would think that Michael Jones would have some really mean things to say. In a recent interview with ABC News in Australia, Michael Jones actually praised Apple and said that customers can trust Apple with their private data. But then he added that using Apple Maps might kill you.
Many analysts believe Apple needs to think of new ways to improve its chances of beating Samsung in the ongoing battle for smartphone market share, and according to new research from King Saud University, Saudi Arabia, one approach could be to make the iPhone “more user friendly” to international users who don’t speak English.
Ad impressions reached a record high during the fourth quarter of 2012, according to data from Opera’s latest State of Mobile Advertising report, with revenue to publishers more than twice that of any previous quarter throughout the year. The figures show that Android continues to increase its share of the market, but it’s got a long way to go before it topples iOS, which boasts a whopping 41.91% share.
Steve Wozniak says the darnest things. Even though he’s the co-founder of Apple, and was one of Steve Jobs’ best friends, he’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind when he’s thinking something negative about Apple.
In a recent interview with the German newspaper Wirtschafts Woche, Woz says that even though Apple’s fans are very loyal, the iPhone is starting to fall behind the competition.
Sprint has today announced its fourth quarter and full year financial results for 2012, and they don’t make for pleasant reading. Despite healthy smartphone sales driven by the iPhone, the carrier reported a loss of $1.3 billion for during the three-month period, which is the same figure it lost during Q4 2011. It also saw more than 1 million Nextel subscribers jumping ship.
EE has today announced plans to rollout its 4G LTE network to another 27 towns in the United Kingdom by June 2013, expanding its 4G coverage to 55% of the U.K. population. The carrier is currently the only network to offer a 4G service in the U.K., but its latest announcements comes as rivals begin making preparations for their own 4G services.
BlackBerry — previously Research in Motion — launched the new BlackBerry Z10 last week, the first smartphone to run the company’s new BlackBerry 10 operating system. Originally set to launch in late 2012, the Z10 has been a long time coming for BlackBerry fans, and it’s a hugely important milestone for the Canadian company.
Many see this as BlackBerry’s last hope of survival in today’s cutthroat smartphone market. It’s been rapidly losing market share to Android and iOS devices over the past five years, and it hasn’t evolved quick enough to put up any sort of a fight. But it’s better later than never.
BlackBerry 10’s here now, and with the help of the Z10 — and later the Q10 — it’s going to be trying to persuade you to give up your iPhone or Android-powered smartphone in favor of a brand new platform. But is it good enough?
I’m a long-time iOS user who recently made the switch to Android, and I’ve been really curious to see if the Z10 is any good. I’ve been using the device almost exclusively since its release; here’s Cult Of Android’s review.
Even though Android has been dominating the smartphone marketshare, the tablet wars are a completely different story as the iPad is clearly the most popular device while all Android tablets are struggling to gain significant usage.
In a new report from the Chitika Ad Network, Apple’s iPad now accounts for 81% of U.S. tablet web traffic. The iPad is so far ahead of the Android tablets, that even if you combined the top 3 performing Android tablets marketshare, they still would look insignificant next to the iPad’s numbers.
It takes no more than about 30 seconds to run a cloth over your smartphone or tablet display and free it from greasy fingerprints. But if you’re just too darn lazy to do that, check out this tiny little autonomous robot that does it for you. From Takara Tomy, the Automee-S is a 2.75-inch Roomba-like device that (slowly) makes its way around your smartphone or tablet display and gives it a good clean.
This day was bound to come sooner or later, and finally, it has arrived. You no longer have to pull out your iPhone when you’re at work if you want to check your Instagram feed to see all your friend’s latest pictures. You can do it all on the web.
When you go to your Instagram.com page and sign in you’ll now see all the photos that would appear in your stream like it would if you were using a smartphone.
Amazon prides itself on offering affordable Android tablets, and so it likes to point that out whenever it gets the opportunity to do so. Usually this means taking a swipe at more expensive devices, and it’s Apple’s iPad that’s on the receiving end again in the company’s new commercial.
Focusing on the high-resolution displays in both devices, Amazon suggests that “you may not be able to tell the difference” between them… until you look at the price tags.
EE launched the United Kingdom’s first 4G LTE network back in October 2012, and with it came some pretty expensive price plans; the carrier has certainly been taking advantage of the fact that it has the U.K.’s only 4G network. But that approach is going to be spoiled by rival carrier Three.
Already the cheapest of all the U.K.’s major providers, Three is looking to maintain its position by promising its customers that they won’t pay any extra for 4G connectivity.
I have a complicated relationship with gloves. On the one hand, I love that they keep my fingers from falling off in frigid weather. But then there’s the frustration at their complete lack of cooperation when I’m trying to use the touchscreen on my phone. As a result, I end up either constantly removing and re-donning my gloves in an endless cycle that freezes my delicate fingers anyway — or abandoning my phone altogether in disgust.
The problem is that most touchscreens rely on our fingers to act as conductors, and conventional gloves block that conductivity. But glove-makers have rolled with the times, and there are solutions — gloves that allow conductivity to pass through the glove’s fabric and onto the screen. One of the most buzzed about is Outdoor Research’s Sensor Gloves ($69), which use real leather that doesn’t appear or feel any different than leather used in non-conductive gloves.
Apple has overtaken Samsung to become the largest mobile phone vendor in the United States for the first time. The Cupertino company captured a record 34% market share during the fourth quarter of 2012 with around 17.7 million devices sold, while Samsung captured 32% with around 16.8 million devices sold.
No, that headline isn’t wrong — Samsung has actually made a Galaxy commercial for the Super Bowl that doesn’t such. It features Knocked Up stars Seth Rogen and Paul Rudd, who play two writers pitching ideas for Samsung’s next commercial to Breaking Bad’s Bob Odenkirk.
It doesn’t mock other companies or rival devices, and it’s actually pretty hilarious. Check it out below.
When Minecraft Pocket Edition first launched, it wasn’t anything like the desktop (and now Xbox 360) versions; it was a neutered stub of a game. But with each update, the PE version gets more and more awesome as it adds the cool features of its big brothers. This update brings wearable armor, craftable signs, new renewable resources in the form of baby livestock and makes gravel and sand follow the rules of gravity.
Unfortunately, there might also be a bug that destroys your entire world.
Thanks to the increasing popularity of Google’s Android platform, Google Play revenue increased more than sixfold during 2012. The boost has helped the search giant gain ground on Apple’s App Store, but it still has a lot of work to do. Despite that growth, the App Store still rakes in 3.5 times more cash than Google Play does.