Smartphones

AT&T’s top executive says the era of big subsidies for devices is coming to an end, as wireless operators can no longer afford to fund a constant smartphone upgrade cycle. Speaking at an investor conference in New York City on Tuesday, AT&T CEO Randall Stephenson said that with smartphone penetration at over 75 percent and Continue Reading →

Spotify is setting its mobile app for free. The streaming music service said on Wednesday that it would allow anyone on an iOS or Android tablet or smartphone to use its app free of charge. The new service launches on Wednesday. Previously, users could only listen to Spotify’s desktop or browser-based program for free, and Continue Reading →

After nearly a year in beta testing, NimbleTV’s streaming service is at last ready for prime time. Anyone with an address in the New York City area can sign up to watch local cable programming anywhere they have a fast internet connection; they just need a web browser, an iOS device or a Roku player. Continue Reading →

Apple’s U.S. Patent No. 8,603,574 for a “Curved touch sensor” details a manufacturing technique that produces accurate, curved touch surfaces without deficiencies caused by substrate warping or deformation. The patent’s claims specifically cover use of the technology in displays, touch pads and touch mice, among other devices.  Apple notes that current touch panel technologies, specifically Continue Reading →

Forty-four percent of smartphone users want the ability to make in-person purchases with their smartphone, according to Harris Interactive. Many companies have been attempting to find ways to consolidate payment methods into a single system and move this system onto smartphones. Loop is a new service that makes it easy for consumers to pay for Continue Reading →

Square Reader has always been a handsome and functional piece of hardware, but the designers and engineers at Square have been on a constant quest to make it just that little bit more handsome and little bit more functional. On Monday, Square released a new version of the Square Reader, which has both a sleeker, Continue Reading →

FB could look a lot more like TV soon. While Vine and Instagram Video are booming, you don’t see many people natively uploading videos to Facebook. But now Facebook is bringing auto-play for native videos to all users after testing the feature in September. And it’s just the beginning of a huge push to put Continue Reading →

Time and cruelty have a wicked relationship. I fancy they sit in a bar together most nights and look back to see what they both have wrought. That’s why tonight they might be having a beer, a giggle, and dance at news that has just emerged about the company formerly known as RIM. Bloomberg Businessweek Continue Reading →

We’ve already logged a few sightings of Verizon’s powerful new LTE network in New York and other cities, but in the last few months Verizon has been rapidly working behind the scenes on upgrading its LTE infrastructure across the country. On Thursday, on the third anniversary of its initial 4G network launch, Verizon Wireless revealed Continue Reading →

Why make a flexible, bendable, curved phone, you ask?  “Probably we got bored,” LG’s Ramchan Woo joked at a small press gathering Tuesday night in a San Francisco hotel. And you sort of get a sense of that when you hear LG talk about the G Flex. The company certainly isn’t against trying something new. Continue Reading →