BlackBerry CEO John Chen at CES. Roger Cheng/CNET BlackBerry said Monday it has created a new business unit that will include its 44,000 patents and several software projects, as the struggling handset maker seeks to find new revenue streams. The unit, called BlackBerry Technology Solutions, will be led by Sandeep Chennakeshu, who has been involved …
Read More »
The SMS Audio BioSport In-Ear Headphones Intel/SMS Audio Intel on Thursday unveiled a new partnership with SMS Audio, the headphone company owned by rapper Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson, and revealed the companies’ first collaboration: a set of fitness-focused headphones called BioSport In-Ear Headphones. The device, which can track a user’s heart rate during exercise, is part of Intel’s continued push …
Read More »
Amazon Local Register at work. Amazon Amazon on Wednesday unveiled a new mobile card reader, pushing the online retailer deeper into payment services and up against the likes of Square and eBay’s PayPal. The new service, called Local Register, will allow businesses to swipe credit and debit cards using their mobile devices along with the reader and a mobile app. …
Read More »
The iPad Mini with Retina display. Sarah Tew/CNET Mass production of a new full-sized iPad has begun, with the tablet expected to be unveiled by the end of the current quarter or early next quarter, Bloomberg reported Tuesday. Manufacturing complications may restrict output of the device, the publication said, due to a new anti-reflection coating being added to make the …
Read More »
The Moto G smartphone. Sarah Tew/CNET The next generation of Motorola Mobility’s low-cost Moto G smartphone may go on sale as soon as September 10. GSM Arena, a tech news and reviews site, reported Monday that a new 5-inch version of the budget phone is expected, following up the 4.5-inch Moto G and Moto G 4G LTE. The information came …
Read More »
T-Mobile CEO John Legere. T-Mobile T-Mobile may still be in play. Although Sprint looks to be abandoning plans to buy the wireless carrier, Sprint’s parent company SoftBank remains interested in an eventual Sprint and T-Mobile tie-up, The Wall Street Journal reported Wednesday. Additionally, a person familiar with Iliad, a French telecommunications company, told the publication that the company plans to …
Read More »
A concept image of sensors lining the back of an iPad. US Patent and Trademark Office While a tablet’s front touchscreen allows users to complete thousands of different tasks, the back of the device doesn’t typically do much. Apple may want to change that, making the back of its iPad tablet much more functional with sensors and controls across its …
Read More »
The Xiaomi Mi 4 CNET Xiaomi, a 4-year-old Chinese company, is now the fifth-largest smartphone vendor in the world, marking a rapid rise into the ranks of top handset makers, according to a new report from research firm Strategy Analytics. The Beijing-based company, whose phones have become wildly popular in China, shipped 15.1 million units in the second quarter of …
Read More »
T-Mobile CEO John Legere. T-Mobile Just last month, T-Mobile started offering its customers more streaming music. Now — just in time for the back-to-school shopping season — the wireless carrier is following up with more data. The company said starting Wednesday, customers can sign up for its four-line Simple Choice plan at $100 per month and get more than twice …
Read More »
The iPhone 5S. Apple Amid the mad dash to reveal features of the iPhone 6, the latest report on the expected smartphone focuses on its connectivity capabilities. AppleInsider over the weekend said the anticipated iPhone 6 will include NFC, also known as near-field communications. The technology is most often discussed in connection with mobile payments — with people swiping their …
Read More »
