CNET Another day, another installment in my continued struggles to choose a victor between my two favorite over-sized phones of the moment. As a recap: I’ve lived with my personal Samsung Galaxy Note 3 for about six months now. It replaced a Note 2, which I had for a little over a year. This is …
Read More »2,400 Phones 4U staff lose their jobs as networks circle
Julius Kielaitis/Shutterstock 2,400 Phones 4U staff are to lose their jobs as 362 stores close, while the networks step in to pick over the remains of the high street retail chain. Sadly 1,697 staff will be laid off immediately. 720 workers keep their jobs for the moment to assist with the process of closing stores before they’re made redundant. Phones …
Read More »iPhone 6 models ‘set gold standard’ in photo, video quality tests
DxO Labs rates the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus as the new top scorers in its DxOMark Mobile tests of photo and video image quality. DxOMark Apple’s iPhone 6 and 6 Plus are the new leaders on a French optical lab’s test of photo and video quality, demoting the Samsung Galaxy S5 to third place. Apple sets the “gold …
Read More »Alleged Droid Turbo photos leak online
Motorola’s rumored Droid Turbo looks equal parts Moto X and Droid Mini. hellomotoHK The first few images of the so-called quick-charging Droid Turbo have landed online ahead of next month’s expected debut, a time frame first learned by CNET. Related Links Report: Motorola to launch 8 more smartphones this year Verizon, Motorola to unveil fast-charging Droid in October Motorola now …
Read More »iPhone 6 in final stage of approval for China, says regulator
The iPhone 6 is reportedly close to regulatory approval in China. CNET Chinese consumers may not have too much longer to wait before they can legally start buying the iPhone 6. Apple’s new iPhone is “in the final stages of review for approval, with results due shortly,” Miao Wei, chief of China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, told Chinese …
Read More »Samsung Gear S and Gear VR: Australian pricing and availability
Samsung Gear VR Sarah Tew Samsung has reiterated its commitment to smartwatches, announcing Australian pricing and availability for the Gear S — its sixth smartwatch. At the same time, the company has revealed Australian pricing for the Gear VR virtual reality headset and the Gear Circle Bluetooth headphones . The Tizen-based Gear S smartwatch is notable for taking a separate …
Read More »Getting started with Talko
Matt Elliott/CNET Lotus Notes creator and former Microsoft Chief Software Architect Ray Ozzie today released a free communication app for the iPhone that aims to replace or at least supplement the Phone and Messages apps you use regularly. It’s a tool for one-on-one conversations or collaborating in groups. The Talko app for iPhone is out today; Android and Web apps …
Read More »Costing $200 to make, the iPhone 6 should offer big profits for Apple
The 16GB iPhone 6 and 6 Plus cost Apple $200 to $216 to make. CNET It costs Apple about $200 to make an iPhone 6 smartphone with 16 gigabytes of storage, with the price of materials and manufacturing rising to roughly $216 for the larger iPhone 6 Plus, according to a new teardown of the devices from researcher IHS. At …
Read More »Will it bend? iPhone 6 takes a turn for the worse
The bent aluminium body of the iPhone 6. Screenshot by Claire Reilly/CNET It’s been on shelves for a matter of days, but some iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus users are complaining of a major design flaw that sees the smartphone body bend under pressure. Photos have begun appearing online showing distinctly bent aluminium devices, with complaints that the new …
Read More »Apple TV adds FX Now, still sans ‘The Simpsons’
Apple TV’s walled garden just let in another app: FX Now. David Katzmaier/CNET Apple TV, the streaming-media box with wide reach but a highly selective collection of channels, just added one app that its main rival Roku lacks: FX Now. FX Now is the streaming app for 21st Century Fox’s networks cable FX, FXX, and FXM, previously available on iOS …
Read More »Intel to spend $6B to upgrade Israel manufacturing plant
Intel’s mobile roadmap. Intel Intel has negotiated a deal with the Israeli government under which the company will spend $6 billion on upgrades to its chip fabrication plant in Kirya Gat, the country’s finance and economy ministries announced Monday. In turn, Israel will grant Intel a total of $300 million over five years. In addition, Intel’s corporate tax rate will …
Read More »iPhone 6 Plus vs. Samsung Galaxy Note 3: Aesthetics and design
CNET Much has been said about Samsung’s unwavering love for plastic — even though the company has never really admitted it as such. Where Apple’s iPhone 5c launched with Jony Ive waxing about its “unapologetically plastic” construction, Samsung has simply stuck by its guns, iterating and improving the look and feel of its devices without straying from their polycarbonate construction. …
Read More »iPhone sales records and 3D printing in space
Another iPhone launch weekend, another sales record. Apple sold 10 million iPhone 6 and 6 Plus models during the launch weekend, which is one million more than Apple sold at last year’s iPhone 5S and 5C launch. In this CNET Update, we let Android share the spotlight with news of the Samsung Galaxy Alpha and a report on the Nexus …
Read More »BlackBerry Passport to retail in US for $599 off
Anything but conventional, the BlackBerry Passport features a 4.5-inch square display. Roger Cheng/CNET BlackBerry is looking to undercut top-tier competitors with its unusually shaped Passport smartphone. The embattled smartphone manufacturer plans to sell the device at an unsubsidized price of $599, CEO John Chen confirmed to the Wall Street Journal. CNET confirmed the off-contract pricing for the US. In comparison, …
Read More »Apple may change Beats brand as it spins up music service
Apple’s Beats Music service may be in for a shake up. Apple bought Beats for $3 billion earlier this year. Apple CEO Tim Cook (second from left) is flanked by Beats cofounders Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre, with iTunes chief Eddy Cue (far right). Apple There are conflicting reports about what exactly will happen with Beats Music. The $10-a-month subscription …
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