Are you facing life without any of your iPhone contacts? Davin is, and so are a lot of other people. Apple’s response? Well, they don’t have a solution. Their best answer is that, well, these people should have backed their contacts up to iCloud. [More]
Congresswoman To Introduce Bill To Make Cellphone Unlocking Legal Again
By March 7, 2013
Just days after both the White House and the Federal Communications Commission expressed concerns about the Librarian of Congress’ decision to make it illegal for consumers to unlock their own cellphones, a U.S. Representative from California says she intends to introduce legislate to right this wrong. [More]
Is A $19/Month Smartphone Through Republic Wireless Right For You?
By February 19, 2013
Yeah, the future is here, and everyone above the age of eight seems to be wandering around with smartphones in their pockets. Maybe you’ve put off joining the mobile-computing revolution because you didn’t want to spend $100 per month for a voice and data plan. How about $19 per month for a smartphone with unlimited voice, texting, and data? That’s what Republic Wireless offers, and many consumers find this intriguing. The problem is that you pretty much get what you pay for. Or is that an advantage? [More]
Watching Porn On A Smartphone Can Triple Your Chances Of Downloading Malware
By February 11, 2013
Despite the ease of being entertained anywhere that comes with owning a smartphone, only about 1% of all mobile traffic is pornography — after all, maybe you don’t want that grandmother next to you on the bus to see you watching. But a new study says that for those people who do indulge on their devices, they’re putting their phones at a high risk of catching something unhealthy. And by that we mean malware, of course. [More]
Great… Now There’s Android Malware That Can Infect Your PC & Turn It Into A Listening Device
By February 4, 2013
In general, the malware relationship between PCs and mobile devices has been a one-way street, with infected computers passing on their digital disease to their mobile mates. But now come reports of at least two infected Android apps whose malware heads in the other direction. [More]
United Airlines Mobile Boarding Passes: Save Time And Trees, Lose Frequent-Flyer Points
By February 1, 2013
It’s incredibly convenient to carry your airline boarding passes on your smartphone. They save paper, save the airline money, and save really absentminded people from misplacing their tickets. The problem, though, is that using them means that Ralph loses out on a lot of frequent flyer miles that United Airlines owes him. He doesn’t have any boarding passes to show and prove that he traveled when he said he did, and evidently United doesn’t keep track of that kind of thing. [More]
After Today, You’ll Need Your Wireless Provider’s Permission To Unlock New Cellphones
By January 25, 2013
For years, you have been able to just unlock your cellphones and take them from your old carrier to one with a compatible network. But starting this weekend, anyone who unlocks a new phone without getting the permission of their current wireless carrier will be violating the law. [More]
Apple Exec Swears The iPhone Will Never Commit The Crime Of Cheapness
By January 11, 2013
A cheap iPhone? Shut your mouth, says Apple’s SVP of Worldwide Marketing, Phil Schiller, according to a new report. Despite rumors that were swirling earlier this week that the company would move toward the popular model of a cheaper smartphone, Schiller says that just ain’t gonna happen. [More]
This Year’s Consumer Electronics Show Might Be A Yawn Because We’re Content With What We Have
By January 8, 2013
Hey, you! Need a new smartphone? Or how about an e-reader? No? You’re all stocked up on electronics gadgets? Hmm. And here we have all these nifty devices to try to convince you that you absolutely must have. What’s a 2013 Consumer Electronics Show exhibitor to do? It seems this year’s CES is kind of a snoozefest because we’ve had most of our itch for electronics scratched by products already on the market. And that market, it’s a-saturated. [More]
Polaroid’s Fotobars Will Let You Print All Those Photos Of Feet & Cats From Your Smartphone
By January 3, 2013
You might not be able to buy Polaroid film easily anymore, but the company is planning a comeback by way of all those photos of food, feet, pretty clouds and of course, cats that you take and store on your smartphone. Because the world should — nay, must! — see a visible display of your smartphone photo skills, Polaroid is launching a bunch of Fotobars so you can edit and print your mobile works of art. [More]
Here’s A Bunch Of Stuff That Might Actually Be Cheaper In The Months To Come
By January 2, 2013
For lots of things you buy, the general trend is for prices to increase over time. But there are some things that forward-looking folks claim will drop in price — at least for a bit — in this, the year 2013 CE. [More]
Hyundai Testing Functionality That Would Let You Lose Your Car Keys And Your Phone At The Same Time
By December 28, 2012
Don’t know about you, but if I’m going out somewhere, I often need to pad my schedule for the inevitable 3-minute hunt for either my keys and my phone (both of which were right here a second ago). Now the folks at Hyundai want to make it so people like me will only have to lose one device. [More]
Galaxy S3 Does Everything Better Except Stay Out Of Toilet; AT&T Saves The Day
By December 26, 2012
April has always been pleased with AT&T’s customer service, but a recent experience delighted her so much that she just had to write to us and share the love. She upgraded to the Samsung Galaxy S3 from an iPhone 4S, and was very pleased with the new device, finding it vastly superior to the iPhone. One thing that the Galaxy isn’t better at, though, was staying out of her toilet. Her phone went “splash,” and she didn’t have $600 lying around to replace it. So she wrote to a selection of AT&T executives and made her case. [More]
Food Companies Have Figured Out How To Market To Kids: Smartphones, Duh
By December 21, 2012
If you’re suddenly hearing things from your kids like, “Mommy, can I please have a [insert food item child has never, ever asked for before]?” just look at the piece of electronic gadgetry in your child’s hands. Food marketers have wised up to the fact that kids these days are getting smartphones younger and younger, and subsequently becoming glued to the devices early on. Ah, nothing like a captive audience to get your ad campaign across. [More]
Retail Managers: You’ll Get More Product Info From A Smartphone Than A Sales Associate
By December 19, 2012
Times used to be, you had a question about a product and needed information about it, and you asked the sales associate at the store. But now it’s not just consumers who stay home to online shop who are finding the best information and prices about items they’re shopping for, even retail managers say customers in a store are better off turning to their smartphones to get info, rather than asking a sales associate for help. [More]
Report: Amazon Preparing To Debut Its Own Smartphone In 2013
By December 18, 2012
Amazon already has big box stores scrambling to compete with its massive online business, and now it seems the company might be gearing up to terrify smartphone makers with its own device. A new report claims the retailer will be debuting a device sometime in the middle of next year. It’ll be manufactured by Foxconn and go for between $100-$200. [More]
Sprint Salesman Won’t Sell Me iPhone 4, Says My Fingers Are Too Fat
By December 18, 2012
The salesperson at Alex’s local Sprint store really didn’t want to sell him an iPhone 4. That phone is old and stuff. Alex knew what he wanted to replace his broken phone: a free phone. Well, a subsidized upgrade with no out-of-pocket cost, anyway. He needed a new phone. He was broke. There was an upgrade on his account. He just wanted a working smartphone. So began the salesman’s campaign to get Alex to buy a Galaxy S III instead. [More]
iPhone 5 Case Does The Opposite Of What A Smartphone Case Is Supposed To Do
By December 10, 2012
Ilya just got a new iPhone 5, and a $35 case from Incase to go along with it. The problem is that the case sort of did the opposite of what protective phone cases are supposed to do: it damaged his phone, instead of protecting it from damage. [More]
