When Facebook product manager David Harris proposed last year to his then-girlfriend, he shared the milestone on the social network. But he didn’t feel like the post matched the magnitude of the moment. That’s when he started having discussions about redesigning a Facebook feature that allows users to highlight major life events such as getting …
Read More »Rural broadband gets potential boost as Congress passes farm bill
The $867 billion farm bill that just passed the US House and Senate on Wednesday has provisions designed to spur broadband deployment. Though the bulk of the spending in the bill will go toward subsidies for American farmers and support for programs to feed the poor, the bill also expands the Department of Agriculture’s Rural Utilities Service loan and grant …
Read More »Ajit Pai’s FCC gives carriers option to block text messages
The Federal Communications Commission said it’s getting tough on text message spam by clarifying that phone companies can block unwanted texts. At its monthly meeting Wednesday, the Republican-led agency voted 3-1 to classify SMS text messages as a so-called Title I information service under the Telecom Act. The three Republicans on the FCC, which voted to adopt the classification, said …
Read More »Samsung Notebook 9 Pen for 2019: Made to please creative pros
With its updated Notebook 9 Pen two-in-one laptop, Samsung is targeting creative professionals who want the flexibility of both a laptop and a pen-enabled tablet without needing separate devices or paying extra for a pen. Like with the 2018 model, Samsung will include one of its S Pens, an active pen that can be used to write and draw on …
Read More »Pixel 3’s Call Screen and Now Playing are the best reasons to own this phone
Even before the Pixel 3 was announced, I was hyped for the phone mostly to see how Google would follow up the Pixel 2 and its brilliant camera. When I finally got my hands on the Pixel 3, it didn’t disappoint. It has a fantastic camera that captures vibrant photos. But the phone has more going for it than just …
Read More »Samsung trademarks hint that upcoming phones may be called Rize
Samsung has reportedly applied to trademark a trio of new phone names that hint at its 2019 plans. The British and Mexican applications, as reported by LetsGoDigital, refer to the Rize10, Rize20 and Rize30. However, they’re just names and give no real indication of what the phones might be. It’s expected that Samsung will release three Galaxy S10 phones, and …
Read More »AT&T Fiber brings gigabit internet service to 12 more cities
AT&T is making good on plans to bring its AT&T Fiber to more cities. The company on Wednesday said the ultra-high-speed broadband service is now in 12 additional cities. This brings the count up to 10 million locations spread across 84 metro areas in the US. AT&T intends to hit 14 million locations by mid-2019. “We have millions of miles …
Read More »Apple may be working on cellular modem chips in
Your future iPhone might have a home-grown cell modem in it. Apple’s looking to hire a lead designer for a cell modem platform, according to a job listing it recently posted. A story in The Information (subscription required) brought attention to the job posting and also said a source with knowledge about Apple’s plans affirmed there’s an internal project for developing its …
Read More »Google’s year in search 2018: World Cup, Meghan Markle take the top spots
The world had World Cup fever this year. And so did the internet. And that was evident in what people searched for online. Google said Wednesday that its top trending topic in the US and worldwide in 2018 was “World Cup.” In Google parlance, “top trending” means it had the highest spike in traffic over a certain period of time …
Read More »CES 2018: Where are they now?
There are tons of products and companies vying for our attention during the chaos and bustle of the CES, the annual consumer electronics trade show held every January in Las Vegas. But whether or not those products actually hit store shelves by the end of the year — or any year — is a different question altogether. Some “concept products” …
Read More »Apple Watch Series 3 drops to $229 at Walmart
The Apple Watch Series 3 dropped as low as $199 during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales week, and then promptly jumped back to its normal price of $279 (for the 38mm version) and $309 (for 42mm). But right now, the 38mm is back on sale again for $229 at Walmart. See 38mm at Walmart Prefer the larger one? The 42mm is also …
Read More »LG Gram 17 and new 14
LG’s claim to fame with its Gram laptop line is light weight and long battery life — two of the most important priorities on many laptop-shoppers’ lists. At CES 2019, the company will add two notebooks in the line to carry on that tradition: the 17-inch LG Gram 17 (model 17Z990-R.AAS8U1); and the 14-inch LG Gram 2-in-1 (model 14T990-U.AAS8U1). The 2-in-1 will cost …
Read More »The new Amazon Kindle Paperwhite is still on sale for $100
Over the Black Friday/Cyber Monday weekend, nearly every Amazon device — Fire TV sticks, Fire tablets, Echo speakers and so forth — was available at their lowest prices of the year. But the price of the brand-new Kindle Paperwhite — which has only been available since Nov. 7 — didn’t budge: It remained at $130. As of a few days ago, however, …
Read More »Huawei P Smart phone leak shows pretty much everything you’d want to know
A French retailer may have accidentally spilled the beans on an upcoming Huawei phone. Electronics site Boulanger briefly listed the Huawei P Smart (2019) for preorder. The page was taken down soon after, but not before people got a good look at all the phone’s details. Screenshots of the listing were later shared by Roland Quandt on Twitter. Huawei P …
Read More »Download this free Microsoft Office alternative, help charity
Unhappy with your current office suite? Need something for a new computer? Lots of folks turn to Microsoft Office out of pure habit, but there are loads of free — and surprisingly good — alternatives. You can try one of them and help a good cause at the same time. Between now and Dec. 24, SoftMaker will donate 0.10 euro (equivalent …
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