Amazon warns Kindle users: Update by March 22 or else

This is pretty much your final warning: If you have a Kindle, you need to update it before March 22 or it’s going to lose Internet connectivity. That, just to be clear, would be very bad, because without the update you’ll no longer be able to access the Kindle Store or sync your device with …

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Facebook wants to be everywhere, except BlackBerry

BlackBerry is facing death by a billion cuts after Facebook pulled support for its social media apps from the mobile platform. The decision by Facebook, which last year passed the milestone of 1 billion people using its service in one day, follows on the heels of a similar move from WhatsApp, which announced last month that it would pull BlackBerry …

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Here’s a tasty collection of the absolute best

Somebody on Twitter pointed out that Pioneer was blowing out my favorite affordable tower speaker of all time — the Andrew Jones designed Pioneer SP-FS52-LR towers — which are now selling for just $180 a pair. That started me thinking, if I was going to share the news of the deal why not also scour the interwebs for more good …

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Music lovers with crappy audio systems, maybe they’re right after all?

I have a number of friends who love music and have the worst audio systems, and though I’ve tried to help them out most couldn’t care less about the sound of their music. I’ve known folks with massive LP and CD collections who were perfectly content with the sound of the crappiest of hi-fis and headphones. This diverse group included …

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Is Google’s Project Fi right for you?

Google’s Project Fi mobile service can save you big bucks, especially if you’re traveling internationally. But it might not be a good fit for everyone. In this edition of Ask Maggie I explain the ins and outs of Project Fi, Google’s wireless service that runs off of the Sprint and T-Mobile networks. I also highlight why some people might want …

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Interested in Apple’s rumored 4

On Monday, March 21, Apple is expected to unveil a new phone, speculatively called the iPhone SE. Rumored to have a 4-inch display, this screen size will mark a return to a smaller design after the company’s latest string of 4.7- and 5.5-inch phones. But Apple won’t be the only one making petite phones. Though they aren’t as popular as …

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The price is wrong: Family Sharing confuses the App Store

One of my roles as a dad is iOS Game Scout. In an effort to get my daughter to take a break from one of the many Toca Hair salon games she plays and my son to step away momentarily from Minecraft, I bring games to their attention that have, in my estimation, some sort of artistic or educational value. …

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The PlayStation VR bundle with accessories you actually need costs $500

Sony on Friday announced preorder information for its upcoming PlayStation VR headset. The Japanese electronics giant will be offering the virtual reality headset as part of a special bundle starting on Tuesday, March 22. The bundle will cost $499 in the US, $100 more than the headset by itself, but with it you get two Playstation Move motion controllers, the …

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How to play Facebook Messenger’s secret basketball game

On Thursday, Facebook released an update to its iOS Messenger app. Normally such updates are accompanied with a change log that reads to the effect of “various bug fixes.” It’s never clear what’s new — if anything — when Facebook updates its apps. The Android app was updated on Wednesday. Only this time Facebook offered some advice in the change …

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Twitter keeping 140

So much for Twitter being home to the next Great American Novel. Jack Dorsey, Twitter’s co-founder and CEO, said the San Francisco-based company won’t be expanding the potential length of tweets users post on its service. In an interview with NBC’s “Today” show, Dorsey said the 140-character limit, which dictates how long people’s posts can be, will remain in place …

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Getting started with Windows 10’s Phone app

Windows 10’s new Phone app is deceptive, because it’s not really a fully-functional app that lets you make voice calls from your device. Instead, the Phone app — which is basically just a call log with a customizable speed dial menu — is a companion app that feeds directly into the Skype video app. Call people You can only call …

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Crave giveaway: Complete set of 86 Google Android collector pins

Congratulations to Peter G. of Galloway, New Jersey, for winning a Reeljuice 5X portable charger in last week’s giveaway. Now, for this week’s prize. You can’t buy the ultimate Android lover’s bragging rights in any retail store. But you can win the entire set of 86 Google Android collector pins in this week’s giveaway. Google made these specifically for conference-goers …

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Battery

All that walking you’re doing to meet your daily step-count goal could soon start paying off — and not necessarily in the way you expect. Yes, it will it make you healthier, but it could power your activity tracker, too, thanks to an insole that sits inside your shoe and harvests energy from your footsteps. Researchers at the University of …

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PlayStation VR is $399, but here’s how much you’ll really pay

Keep swiping that credit card, folks. The latest VR headset announcement comes with yet another price caveat with today’s PlayStation VR price announcement not telling quite the whole story. That $399 US price tag — it’s AU$550 in Australia and £349 in the UK — won’t do anything unless you also own a PlayStation Camera, priced at $59, AU$75 or …

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