smartphones

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Microsoft's Kin: Does the World Really Need a 'Social' Phone?

Heir to the 'sidekick' throne misses the mark

(Newser) - If you're a Facebook-addicted, text-loving teenage girl, you might, maybe, like this phone. If not, look elsewhere. Microsoft's Kin isn't a smartphone, but a cell designed for social media. Is it any good?
  • Gizmodo calls it "the most seamlessly connected phone on the planet," but doesn't love the
...

Google Dumped From Chinese Smartphones

Unicom say Google search won't be on its Android phones

(Newser) - China's second-biggest cell phone operator—apparently bowing to pressure from Beijing—has announced that Google search won't be available on the Android smartphones it developed in partnership with Google. "We are willing to work with any company that abides by Chinese law ," said the president of China Unicom....

Dozens of iPhone Factory Workers Seriously Ill

Chinese workers hospitalized with nerve damage

(Newser) - Dozens of Chinese workers have spent close to a year in hospital after sustaining nerve damage in a factory making iPhone components. The workers, mostly young women, were exposed to a toxic solvent they used to clean iPhone and iTouch screens, GlobalPost finds in part of a series of investigations...

Fandango Tests Digital Movie Tickets

No need to print them, just flash your cellphone in theater

(Newser) - Tired of standing in line at the movie theater, or even printing out your tickets at home? Fandango has a solution. Starting today, moviegoers in eight markets—including New York, Houston, Dallas, and San Diego—will be able to flash their cellphones rather than bothering with a physical ticket. The...

Desktops 'Irrelevant' in 3 Years: Google Exec
 Desktops 'Irrelevant' in 
 3 Years: Google Exec 
all hail the cloud

Desktops 'Irrelevant' in 3 Years: Google Exec

John Gerlihy says company to focus on mobile computing and the cloud

(Newser) - In three years, the desktop computer will be a relic of a bygone era and cloud computing will be the standard. At least that’s Google’s bet, as expounded by Europe exec John Herlihy. Down the road, he told a conference, “desktops will be irrelevant.” Just look...

Why Talking on the Phone Stinks

 Why Talking on 
 the Phone 
 Stinks 
Uh, how are the kids?

Why Talking on the Phone Stinks

The pleasantries, the epic goodbyes make conversation totally lame

(Newser) - Though you'll have to pry the smartphone out of most Americans' cold, dead hands, there are plenty of reasons why those gadgets are good: They allow you to communicate in so many ways other than talking. The Oatmeal illustrates (literally) 10 good reasons why talking on the phone sucks:
  1. All
...

Smartphones Block Out Real World

Fathers, lovers, etc. lost in omnipresent gratification of data

(Newser) - Once upon a time, a professor says, we “put up” with the piecemeal flow of information “because we had to,” but now that the world is at our fingertips, it’s hard to resist. Just ask the dad who let a bathtub holding his daughter overflow because...

BlackBerry Takes Bullet for Ohio Woman

Boyfriend's gun fires accidentally, and device is there

(Newser) - Having a smartphone can save your life—an Ohio woman's BlackBerry took a bullet for her when her boyfriend's concealed handgun accidentally went off in a diner. Anthony Holtvogt, 24, and his girlfriend were preparing to leave a diner after some beers, when a .32-caliber handgun caught in his sleeve,...

Web Puts 2nd Language at Your Fingertips

Online options, from free to pricey, abound

(Newser) - The days of chanting vocabulary words in a classroom and dozing off in the language lab are fading from memory as language instruction becomes increasingly available on the Internet. Freestanding smartphone apps are one option, and more structured instruction comes at a price—and sometimes no price at all. The...

Google's Nexus One Cleans Up Curse Words

Voice-recognition feature uses # symbols on its screen readout

(Newser) - No cursing, please, your Nexus One might be listening: Reuters has discovered a quirk with the Google phone's nifty voice-recognition feature. If you say "bullshit," the readout on the screen will be "bull####." Ditto with other favorite phrases of the potty-mouthed. What gives? Google says it's...

Smartphone Scammers Recycle Dial-Up Tricks

 Smartphone Scammers 
 Recycle Dial-Up Tricks 
bogus phone calls

Smartphone Scammers Recycle Dial-Up Tricks

Trojan diallers call premium lines, racking up huge charges

(Newser) - Criminals have revived an old trick dating from the days of dial-up Internet access to target smartphone users. Trojans known as "diallers" that hijack a line to dial dozens of premium-rate numbers or send premium SMS messages are on the rise again, according to security experts. The diallers—generally...

Users Already Grousing About Google Phones

Lack of support helpline irks Nexus One users

(Newser) - The honeymoon for Google's Nexus One smartphone lasted under a week for many users. Support forums are already filled with critics complaining about various problems, especially connectivity issues. The biggest problem, though, appears to be that many users aren't clear on which company is supposed to answer their questions and...

Nexus One: 'Google's Most Public Misstep'

Bad network, stymied opportunity for Android OS—what's to like?

(Newser) - The much ballyhooed Nexus One landed yesterday, but over at PC World , David Coursey is having none of it. “The Nexus One is a somewhat faster Droid with a somewhat better screen,” he writes, but all in all it's a bad idea and needless risk for Google. First,...

Google Poised to Unveil Nexus One

Smartphone launch expected at 'event' today

(Newser) - The eyes of the tech world swing over to Google HQ today, where the search engine is expected to roll out its much-anticipated Nexus One "superphone." Google has stayed tight-lipped about the phone—confirming only that handsets have been handed out to employees for testing—leaving the industry...

Unlocked Google Phone Will Set You Back $530: Leak

Gadget $180 on 2-year T-Mobile contract

(Newser) - Google’s upcoming phone will cost users $530 unlocked and unsubsidized—or $180 with a 2-year T-Mobile contract, Gizmodo reports from leaked documents. The tech firm will sell its new gadget itself, and sources tell TMO News that it will go on sale January 5 at 9am, There’s just...

UK Network: Dropped Calls? Blame iPhone

O2 follows suit after AT&T accuses gadget of data gluttony

(Newser) - Slammed for poor signal and dropped calls, AT&T has blamed its troubles in part on the iPhone’s heavy data usage—and now UK provider O2 is also pointing a finger at the gadget, PC World reports. O2 users have been plagued by similar problems, and “where we...

AT&T Resumes Web Sales of iPhones in NYC

Network issues may still be reason for blocking transactions

(Newser) - AT&T has lifted its ban on selling New York City residents iPhones online, but the reason for the shutdown remains unclear. Customer service reps at first said New York was not "ready for the iPhone," then offered nebulous explanations about "increased fraudulent activity" in the area....

Firefox Heads for Cell Phones
 Firefox Heads for Cell Phones 

Firefox Heads for Cell Phones

Fennec launch imminent, but, iPhone users, don't hold your breath

(Newser) - The release of Firefox's Fennec browser for mobiles is imminent after more than a year of development. Mozilla exec Jay Sullivan says the browser is being put through final testing and will likely be available for download before the end of the year. Fennec —which synchronizes mobiles with the...

BlackBerry Email Restored After 8-Hour Outage

Problem with IM software at fault, RIM urges upgrade

(Newser) - BlackBerry email service in North America was restored this morning following its second outage in less than a week. Research In Motion said the root cause of the 8-hour lapse is still under review, but a flaw in two recently released versions of its BlackBerry Messenger instant messaging software appears...

Google Phone's Hardware Rules

Nexus' CPU will be twice as fast as the Droid's

(Newser) - Google’s secretive, much-hyped Nexus One is going to have some real horsepower under its hood. The fine hackers over at TheseAreTheDroids have pored over a leaked ROM of the new phone’s software to figure out what hardware will be in it, and the news is all good. The...

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