Consumer
Some tips for staying connected during and after Hurricane Sandy
October 29, 2012 3:34 pm | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsWhen disaster strikes, phone and Internet service often takes a hit, right when it's needed the most. Here are some tips for communicating with emergency services and loved ones as Sandy collides with the East Coast: Cellphones may work even if the power goes out, but you can't count on them
High court hears closely watched copyright case
October 29, 2012 10:14 am | by Mark Sherman, Associated Press | News | CommentsCostco, eBay, Google and the nation's top art museums are backing a Thai graduate student against book publishers, the movie and music industries and other manufacturers in a Supreme Court battle over copyright protections with important implications for consumers and multibillion dollar annual sales online and in discount stores.
Future of Nokia hangs on Windows Phone 8 rollout
October 29, 2012 9:35 am | by MATTI HUUHTANEN - Associated Press | News | CommentsFor Nokia, it comes down to this: Is Microsoft's new phone software going to get it back in the smartphone race, or is it going to be too late? After being the top seller of cellphones in the world for 14 years, Nokia failed to meet the challenge when Apple in 2007 introduced the dazzling iPhone...
Poll: Little demand for Microsoft's Windows 8
October 29, 2012 1:35 am | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE - AP Technology Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsMicrosoft bills Windows 8 as a "re-imagining" of the personal computer market's dominant operating system, but the company still has a lot of work to do before the makeover captures the imagination of most consumers, based on the results of a recent poll by The Associated Press and GfK. The phone...
Taiwan's HTC reports 79 percent drop
October 26, 2012 4:26 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsTaiwan smartphone maker HTC Corp. on Friday reported a 79 percent drop in third quarter profit as intensifying competition from Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co. hurt sales. HTC said its profit totaled 3.9 billion New Taiwan dollars ($99 million) on revenue of NT$70 billion in the three...
Samsung logs record-high profit
October 25, 2012 8:52 pm | by YOUKYUNG LEE - AP Technology Writer - Associated Press | News | CommentsSamsung Electronics Co.'s third-quarter net profit nearly doubled over a year earlier to a record high propelled by strong sales of Galaxy phones that helped widen its lead over rivals. The South Korean company said Friday its July-September net income totaled 6.56 trillion won ($5.97 billion),...
Windows 8 to bridge gap between PC, mobile devices
October 25, 2012 7:31 pm | by MICHAEL LIEDTKE - AP Technology Writers - Associated Press | News | CommentsMicrosoft launched a radical redesign of its world-dominating Windows operating system Thursday, introducing a touch-enabled interface that attempts to bridge the gap between personal computers and fast-growing mobile devices powered by the company's fiercest competitors. The debut of Windows 8...
Now the mobile phone goes emotional
October 25, 2012 3:54 pm | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsMobile devices include an increasing number of input and output techniques that are currently not used for communication. Recent research results by Dr Eve Hoggan from HIIT / University of Helsinki, Finland, however, indicate that a synchronous haptic communication system has value as...
Next-generation capacitive-touch platform includes high-resolution sensing
October 25, 2012 1:45 pm | 3M Electronics Solutions Division | Product Releases | CommentsSemtech Corporation announced the SX95xx platform of capacitive touch ICs for a wide range of home appliances and consumer electronics. The feature-rich touch button family enhances the ECO mode present in many green home electronics by integrating an IR decoder for system wake up.
Video game with biofeedback teaches children to curb their anger
October 25, 2012 9:26 am | by EurekAlert! | News | CommentsChildren with serious anger problems can be helped by a simple video game that hones their ability to regulate their emotions, finds a pilot study at Boston Children's Hospital. Results were published online October 24 in the journal Adolescent Psychiatry...
Company develops device that fools red-light cameras
October 24, 2012 12:27 pm | by Kasey Panetta, Associate Editor | Blogs | CommentsRed-light cameras are a hot-button issue. One side calls them a necessary safety precaution, while the other questions their constitutionality. Not to mention, since the red-light camera are run by big business that occasionally gets paid by the ticket, it seems a little shady.
Global TV demand expected to be flat in 2013, according to NPD DisplaySearch
October 24, 2012 10:49 am | News | CommentsWith consumers all over the world facing continued economic uncertainty, global TV demand is expected to be flat in 2013, after shipments of all TV types declined by more than 4% in 2012, to 237M, according to the latest results from the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Advanced Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report.
New finding could pave way to faster, smaller electronics
October 24, 2012 9:12 am | by Eurekalert! | News | CommentsUniversity of California, Davis, researchers for the first time have looked inside gallium manganese arsenide, a type of material known as a "dilute magnetic semiconductor" that could open up an entirely new class of faster, smaller devices based on an emerging field known as "spintronics.
Touchscreen controller features a small footprint optimized for touchscreens up to 17.3 inches
October 23, 2012 1:49 pm | Atmel Corporation | Product Releases | CommentsAtmel Corporation announced it is shipping the maXTouchS Series touchscreen controllers designed for the rapidly growing Ultrabook and notebook markets. Building upon the success of the maXTouch S Series, the new Windows 8 Certified Atmel mXT3432S is a touchscreen controller with a small footprint optimized for touchscreens up to 17.3 inches.
Gadgets add complexity to brutal bank layoffs
October 23, 2012 9:06 am | by Sarah White, Reuters | News | CommentsIn the high-tech, gadget-addicted world of investment banking, layoffs are becoming more complex and brutal as firms try to stop sensitive data leaving with employees. Sackings are usually swift, with bankers escorted out, a few belongings thrown into boxes and Blackberries and phones disabled the minute they get their marching orders.
Federal agency to switch to iPhone, drop BlackBerry
October 23, 2012 9:05 am | by Nicola Leske, Reuters | News | CommentsThe U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE) said it will end its contract with BlackBerry maker Research In Motion Ltd in favor of Apple Inc's iPhone, dealing a new blow to RIM just months before it launches a vital new device. The agency said in a solicitation document posted last week
Apple expected to reveal smaller iPad on Tuesday; price is big question mark
October 23, 2012 9:01 am | by Peter Svensson, AP Technology Writer, The Associated Press | News | CommentsThe price tag remains a big question mark as Apple prepares Tuesday to unveil what is expected to be a smaller iPad. Apple hasn't said anything about the device, but the veil of secrecy that the company throws over unreleased products has been a see-through affair this year. Most of the details
Nokia launches $980 million bond offering
October 23, 2012 5:44 am | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsNokia Corp. is planning to raise €750 million ($980 million) via an issue of bonds as part of an effort to build up its reserves ahead of next month's launch of phones running Microsoft's new Windows 8 software. The launch is a hugely important event for the struggling cellphone maker, which has...
High-tech product announcements this fall
October 22, 2012 4:23 pm | by The Associated Press | News | CommentsIt's high season for consumer electronics. Manufacturers of various gadgets are unveiling their holiday lineups. Add to that products surrounding a new version of Windows coming out Friday. Here's a recap of the announcements so far: — Sept. 4: Microsoft Corp. releases the first major update to...
Early Look at Windows 8 Baffles Consumers
October 22, 2012 12:40 pm | by PETER SVENSSON, AP Technology Writer | News | CommentsThe release of Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system is a week away, and consumers are in for a shock. Windows, used in one form or another for a generation, is getting a completely different look that will force users to learn new ways to get things done.
Tokyo court finds Apple doesn't infringe Samsung patents
October 22, 2012 12:09 pm | by CNET | News | CommentsJapanese newspaper Asahi Shimbun reported over the weekend that Apple won a pair of cases against Samsung over the last several weeks. The first, which came down in mid-September, found that Apple did not infringe a Samsung patent...
Consumer electronics industry announces Ultra High-Definition
October 22, 2012 11:59 am | News | CommentsThe next generation of so-called “4K” high-definition display technology for the home – giant-screen TVs with more than eight million pixels of resolution, four times the resolution of today’s high-definition televisions – will be called “Ultra High-Definition” or “Ultra HD,” connoting its superiority over conventional HDTV, according to the Consumer Electronics Association (CEA).
Samsung kicking Apple to curb for LCD panels
October 22, 2012 11:56 am | by CNET | News | CommentsThe Korea Times says Samsung will replace the lost Apple business with more display orders from Samsung's handset business and Amazon. Samsung's display business plans to end its LCD panel supply agreement with Apple...
Analysis: Most companies won't be early adopters of Windows 8
October 22, 2012 9:44 am | by Bill Rigby, Reuters | News | CommentsThere was once a time when the launch of a new Windows operating system was a huge deal for the technology departments in many businesses. Not anymore. Microsoft Corp's release of Windows 8 on Friday is likely to be a non-event for most companies -- and some experts say many may never adopt it.
Video-sharing applications put users in the picture
October 22, 2012 9:43 am | by Natasha Baker, Reuters | News | CommentsText messaging is fast and efficient but a new video-sharing application aims to put users in the picture. The London-based company Six3 has launched a new video-sharing app by the same name that will enable users to send short video messages as easily as sending a text. Whether it is a business traveler
