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 …
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Xiaomi’s Mi Band on China’s Tmall.com Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET Chinese vendor Xiaomi will launch its new rock-bottom-priced fitness band on Monday. Known as the Mi Band, the device will sell for 79 yuan, which translates to about $13 or 10 euros. The first wearable gadget from a company known for its increasingly popular smartphones, the Mi Band can monitor …
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The LG G Pad 8.0 LTE. LG An 8-inch tablet is hitting store shelves for those who prefer an LTE option for an Android-based device. LG on Thursday announced the launch of the LTE version of its G Pad 8.0 tablet. The device, which looks exactly the same as its previously announced Wi-Fi-only G Pad 8.0, comes with a 1.2GHz …
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Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET Samsung is expected to unveil its Galaxy Note 4 phablet on September 3, but an online store may have just spilled most of the key features of the device. A dedicated product page from Indonesian Internet retailer Erafone describes the Note 4 in full detail, purportedly revealing or confirming just about every key spec, including the …
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Jana Demand for big-screened smartphones is heating up around the world, according to a survey released Thursday. Conducted by research firm Jana, the survey reached 1,386 smartphone users in nine countries in early June to gauge their preferences in two areas: screen size and video watching. Big-screened smartphones have become increasingly popular among consumers in developed markets and now apparently …
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The Martian Notifier Smartwatch. Sarah Tew/CNET Fashion watches powered by smart tech? It could be the way wearables are rapidly headed — or at least be the immediate trend for next year. Timex-owned Sequel AG, which distributes Guess watches worldwide, has announced a partnership with Guess and smartwatch developer Martian Watches to make “interactive, voice-command wrist accessories” for early 2015. …
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The Nokia XL smartphone. CNET The US International Trade Commission has concluded that Nokia and ZTE did not infringe on InterDigital’s patents. The government agency announced Thursday that it was terminating its investigation with a “finding of no violation.” InterDigital, a wireless research and development company, filed a complaint with the ITC in 2013 claiming Nokia and ZTE engaged in …
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Google’s Android and Apple’s iOS have combined to downright dominate the smartphone market, but it’s Google’s mobile operating system that continues to make its presence felt, according to new data from research firm IDC. During the second quarter, over 255 million Android-based devices shipped worldwide, representing an 84.7 percent market share, IDC reported on Thursday. Apple’s iOS came in second …
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Screenshot by CNET Presto, the specialist movie streaming service from Foxtel, has halved its monthly fee, dropping from AU$19.99 to AU$9.99. The service remains “no lock in” with users able to cancel their subscription at any time. Presto also has a number of premium pay-per-view titles that attract additional fees over the monthly subscription. At launch, the high monthly price …
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Shara Tibken/CNET Intel’s upcoming wave of wearable technology won’t be aimed at helping the chip maker establish itself in the budding consumer electronics’ space now filling up with smartwatches and fitness bands. Rather, Intel’s devices will serve a grander purpose: helping research on and treatment of neurodegenerative brain disease. Intel announced Wednesday a partnership with the Michael J. Fox Foundation …
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AT&T is offering a $200 discount on Apple iPads for anyone buying a full price iPhone 5S or iPhone 5C, ahead of next month’s expected announcement of a new iPhone. With a new iPhone 6 expected to be announced on September 9 and in stores by the end of September, it looks like the new promotion, which is available only …
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Apple The iPhone 6 is now facing its final test phase in preparation for mass production. At least, that’s the latest scuttlebutt from Chinese media. Purportedly based on sources at Apple supplier Foxconn, a report from Chinese blog site Weibo claims that the iPhone 6 is now in a stage called product validation test (PVT), according to the G for …
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Apple’s iPhone 5S (left) and iPhone 5C. Apple Apple’s brick-and-mortar stores will soon offer access to carriers’ financing plans, a new report claims. Starting August 20, many US-based Apple stores will give customers the option to buy iPhones through financing plans offered by AT&T, Verizon, and T-Mobile, 9to5 Mac reported Tuesday. The Apple-focused site viewed what appear to be employee …
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Tencent Chinese Internet giant Tencent Holdings, which operates online games and the WeChat messaging service, said Wednesday its profit grew 42 percent as smartphone gaming revenues continue to rise. Tencent reported second-quarter earnings (PDF) of 5.83 billion yuan ($949 million) and revenue of 19.74 billion yuan for the three months ended June 30. Earnings excluding some items were 5.87 billion …
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The metal-banded Galaxy Alpha. Samsung This was not the usual Samsung smartphone launch. The Galaxy Alpha , one of two high-end smartphones that Samsung has been teasing this summer, made a quiet debut early Wednesday. Samsung announced the phone in a press release posted on its website. While the Galaxy Alpha had the usual run-up of rumors and speculation befitting …
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