Ben Fox Rubin

Apple reveals the new ultrathin 12

Apple CEO Cook shows off the new MacBook laptop Monday. Apple Apple on Monday unveiled its newest MacBook, a super-thin and light device that could help it keep demand going for its sleek but high-priced Mac computers. “We challenged ourselves to reinvent the notebook,” CEO Tim Cook said at a press event in San Francisco. …

Read More »

Amazon Appstore nears 400K apps on ‘huge progress’

Amazon’s Fire tablet line includes plenty of must-have apps, but is still missing a few others. CNET BARCELONA — Amazon has had a tough time getting its mobile-apps store noticed against bigger storefronts from Google and Apple. But it’s making some headway in changing that. A spokesman for the e-commerce giant told CNET this week that the Amazon Appstore has …

Read More »

Qualcomm’s Zeroth platform could make your smartphone much smarter

Zeroth can recognize faces in real time, letting users immediately categorize their pictures. Ben Fox Rubin/CNET BARCELONA — The smartphone of the future may anticipate a user’s needs before he even prompts the device and utilize behavioral analysis to make itself more secure. Those are two potential features of Qualcomm’s new “cognitive computing” platform, called Zeroth, which is a combination …

Read More »

What’s inside your smartphone? Most customers don’t care

Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S6 smartphone at Mobile World Congress, but left out Qualcomm’s Snapdragon processor for the first time for the phone line. Stephen Shankland/CNET Sean Lamar stood behind the Best Buy store counter on a chilly February evening, waiting for customers to browse the smartphones arranged neatly along the tables nearby. Most ask about Apple’s iPhone or …

Read More »

Intel playing catch

Intel came to Mobile World Congress to demonstrate its commitment to mobile — and to unveil new chips. Stephen Shankland/CNET BARCELONA — Intel on Monday unveiled a new set of mobile chips, with the hope that these more powerful processors will help it catch up to rivals in the smartphone and tablet markets. The company revealed at the Mobile World …

Read More »

Broadcom, TI try adding more charge to smartwatch batteries

Smartwatches — like this Samsung Gear S — can be a helpful tool, but not when their batteries run out. Sarah Tew/CNET A major gripe about smartwatches is that the battery on most devices lasts only about a day. Looking to address that problem, both Broadcom and Texas Instruments unveiled new platforms for their chips on Wednesday that are designed …

Read More »

Hey kids, YouTube has an app coming just for you

YouTube Kids will be coming to Android devices next week. YouTube When it comes to streaming video, these days it’s all about the kids. YouTube, the world’s biggest online video service, said it will launch a new free app called YouTube Kids on Monday. The app initially will be available only on devices running Google’s Android operating system. It will …

Read More »

Qualcomm to jazz up modem chips with new name

The LG G Flex 2 uses the Snapdragon 810 chip. Josh Miller/CNET When discussing new smartphones, people may highlight the speed of the processor or the sharpness of the display. But the modem chip — the thing that actually lets a smartphone make phone calls — many times gets ignored. Qualcomm, the world’s largest smartphone-chip maker, is hoping it can …

Read More »

After rough 2014, Samsung eyes growth and acquisitions

The Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, one of the company’s many efforts to try differentiating from its competitors. Juan Garzón/CNET Samsung started doling out more cash to its shareholders last year, but it warned that kind of treatment may not continue in 2015. Instead of more investor goodies, the South Korean electronics giant will look to direct its $56 billion cash …

Read More »

FAA offers framework to legalize commercial

Drones like this Inspire 1 could become a much more common sight in the skies in the near future. Getty The Federal Aviation Administration took an important step Sunday toward legalizing and regulating routine use of commercial drones — though don’t expect a delivery drone to bring you a fresh pizza anytime soon. The agency released its proposed requirements for …

Read More »