Smartphones

Poor, poor Siri. Apple’s virtual personal assistant was welcomed with open arms when it was unveiled last year, and the new feature was also credited with being the driving force behind Apple’s record iPhone 4S sales. But in tech, new features quickly lose their luster and in recent months, complaints surrounding Siri have mounted. Several Continue Reading →

The great smartphone boom is about to end. That’s according to one savvy tech prognosticator, Bill Whyman, head of the investment research firm International Strategy & Investment‘s tech strategy research team, who tends to look more than a couple quarters ahead. Whyman contends that as smartphone penetration reaches 50% sometime next year, the market will Continue Reading →

Apple previously announced that its next-generation OS X operating system, called Mountain Lion, would launch sometime in July, although a specific date was never announced. According to a report from 9To5Mac, the Cupertino-based company’s retail stores in both the United States and overseas are planning overnight updates on July 24th — the same day Apple Continue Reading →

New images of the next-generation iPhone’s face plate reveal a previously unknown design change as production of the new Apple smartphone reportedly kicks off. Apple blog Apple.Pro on Sunday published new images of what it claims to be the front plate from Apple’s upcoming “iPhone 5,” as it calls the device. The images show a Continue Reading →

The price of Nokia Oyj (NOK1V)’s Lumia 900, which the company is counting on to challenge the iPhone and Android devices, was cut in half to $49.99 at AT&T Inc. (T) (T) stores. The product is available at that price with a two-year commitment, according to AT&T’s website. AT&T began offering the phone in April, Continue Reading →

A Russian hacker appears to have defeated Apple’s in-app purchase security and processing checks, allowing iPhone and iPad owners to potentially rack up thousands of purchases within apps for no charge. 9to5mac reports that (via i-ekb.ru) that developer ‘ZonD80′ has developed a technique that uses an in-app proxy method to bypass the payment processing features Continue Reading →

Google has received positive feedback regarding its mobile Chrome web browser. After arriving on the iPhone and iPad late last month, the browser quickly became the most popular free app in Apple’s App Store. More than 10,000 users have reviewed Chrome so far and it holds a near-perfect four and a half star rating. There Continue Reading →

A smartphone designed for blind people has been launched. Georgie, as the device is known, has a voice-assisted touchscreen and offers a variety of apps to help complete tasks such as catching a bus, reading printed text and pinpointing location. The phone was designed by blind husband-and-wife team Roger and Margaret Wilson-Hinds. It was named Continue Reading →

Apple’s mythical “iPhone 5” — which does not yet exist and probably won’t be called the “iPhone 5″ when it does become available this fall — is already available for preorder on Chinese e-commerce platform Taobao. As Reuters reports, Far Eastern vendors are looking to capitalize on the flurry of rumors that have swept the Continue Reading →

Frustrated by your iPhone’s itsy speaker? (We are.) Jonesing for the sense of accomplishment that comes with building something? (Always.) It’ll take you 30 seconds at most to fold up and stick together eco-made’s eco-amp, a fully recycled paper horn that passively amplifies the sound coming from that underpowered speaker. Eco-made was founded in May, Continue Reading →