Electronics

How bad do you need an Android tablet? HP’s latest Android tablet isn’t packed with the latest components, but it’s cheap. The buyer gets, um, a screen, some bits and bytes, and a bezel as wide as the Mighty Mississisp’. But the HP 7 Plus is only $99. Since HP’s first consumer Android tablet, the Continue Reading →

Microchip Technology Inc said it would buy Taiwanese wireless products maker ISSC Technologies Corp to gain ground in a technology that helps connect everything from cars to lightbulbs through the Internet. Microchip, which makes memory and analog chips, has been trying to cash in on the “Internet of Things”, like other technology companies such as Continue Reading →

Amazon is emailing some of its customers with an offer to try out the $99 Fire TV box free-of-charge for 30 days. If they don’t get along with the little Android-powered streamer and gaming console, they can return it without obligation and without being left out of pocket — so long as they follow the Continue Reading →

On Tuesday, the California Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) officially approved rules to allow the testing of autonomous vehicles on public roads. The rules will take effect September 16, 2014. The move has been a long time coming, with the DMV promising back in December 2013 that it would post regulations for public use of Continue Reading →

Astro Teller is the pony-tailed mad scientist leading Google’s efforts to merge the digital world with the physical world. He runs the quasi-secret Google X research lab, where the company is exploring everything from self-driving cars to internet-connected eyewear. These projects may seem like a stretch for a web company that cut its teeth with Continue Reading →

You’re feeling a little depressed, aren’t you? How about a bit of Hershey’s chocolate to cheer you up? Your stress indicators are off the charts. Did you know Marie’s massage parlor is just a three-minutes walk from here? These are just a couple of the conversations your wearable gadget could be having with you in Continue Reading →

BlackBerry is launching a series of projects called Project Ion for the internet of things with the idea of using its experience in building secure, connected devices to connect sensors, cars and anything else in a secure fashion to a cloud back end. Alec Saunders, the vice president of cloud at BlackBerry, launched the project Continue Reading →

SmartThings, the company behind a connected home hub, is walking the fine line between creating an open ecosystem for connected devices and a user experience that doesn’t make users toss up their hands in frustration. That’s not to say it hasn’t veered off that line in the past, but on Wednesday it announced an exit Continue Reading →

Microsoft, struggling to break into the tablet market, backed off plans to introduce a smaller version of its Surface tablet based on Qualcomm processors, people with knowledge of the decision said. Microsoft Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella and Executive Vice President Stephen Elop decided that the product in development wasn’t different enough from rivals and Continue Reading →

Microsoft unveiled a new Surface Pro 3 device at a press event in New York City on Tuesday. Like the previous Surface tablets it still includes a kickstand, but Surface chief Panos Panay says it’s designed to remove the conflict of buying a laptop or a tablet. The kickstand on the device is multi-stage, and Continue Reading →