Electronics

Which technology giant will be the first to offer a free smartphone? Amazon.com is making a play. In a previously unreported move, the online retailer and Kindle maker is considering introducing its long-planned smartphone for free to consumers, according to people familiar with Amazon’s effort. There are many unanswered questions about the plan and what Continue Reading →

Google Glass should be worth $3.27 billion to Google in 2017, says one financial analyst who has been wearing the device and showing it to investors. Even with zero profit margin, Google should be able to make money from Glass via additional searches, better targeting from increased data collection and revenue share from app sales. Continue Reading →

Apple’s iPad 5 and iPad mini 2 (generational markers, likely not official names by the way) will probably arrive later this year, as has been reported previously, according to KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo. Generally, analyst-sourced reports seem to be pretty hit-or-miss, but Kuo has a solid track record, including what appear to be accurate Continue Reading →

Microsoft executives have dropped hints in the past that the company would be making a combined keyboard/cover for its Surface devices that would include a built-in battery. The latest anonymously sourced reports from Neowin.net and the Windows SuperSite indicate these new covers are, indeed, in the pipeline. The so-called Power Covers will extend the battery Continue Reading →

The focus on Wednesday may be on Samsung’s Galaxy Gear, but none other than Qualcomm is entering the smartwatch market with a device it’s calling Toq. It’s a touchscreen smartwatch designed to be used with Android devices, and is serving as a showcase for Mirasol — Qualcomm’s low-energy display technology that’s struggled to find acceptance. Continue Reading →

While last year’s Galaxy Note 10.1 featured a 1280 x 800 display, Samsung is opting for a high-resolution screen this time around. At IFA today the company is announcing what it calls the 2014 edition of the Galaxy 10.1-inch, complete with a 2560 x 1600 display. The screen is identical to Samsung’s own Nexus 10, Continue Reading →

Sony has officially introduced the Xperia Z1, a 5-inch smartphone that will arrive running Android 4.3 and is made out of a solid one-piece aluminium frame. It can also survive being dropped in the sink. The device was heavily teased by Sony leading up to the event at IFA, but the device maker held back Continue Reading →

Samsung has formally unveiled the Galaxy Gear smartwatch, which connects to an Android smartphone via Bluetooth, following a number of leaks running up to the event. At around the size of a regular watch, it has a 1.63-inch AMOLED touchscreen display, 1.9-megapixel ‘Memographer’ camera on the side of the device for capturing snaps with a Continue Reading →

A year later than expected, HDMI 2.0 has arrived, bringing support for higher-end high-resolution 4K TVs to the widely used video-audio connector technology. The previous, 2009-era version of the High Definition Multimedia Interface, HDMI 1.4, supports 4K “Ultra HD” video, but with some limits: at a resolution of 3840×2160 it worked at up to 30 Continue Reading →

Amazon has officially announced the new Kindle Paperwhite — just hours after the company accidentally put the page live earlier on Tuesday and then pulled it down immediately. It looks like it has the same physical form factor as last year’s Kindle Paperwhite, but has a higher contrast E Ink display, a faster processor for Continue Reading →