AT&T serves KitKat update to Samsung Galaxy Note 3

AT&T delivers a dose of KitKat to the Galaxy Note 3. Sarah Tew/CNET The KitKat train keeps rolling along, as AT&T today announced the 4.4 update for its Samsung Galaxy Note 3 . The Ma Bell branded version of the 5.7-inch smartphone is the latest in a series of Samsung devices to receive the newest …

Read More »

Apple said to place battery orders for iPhone 6

Apple Apple is priming the Asia-based supply chain for production of its next-generation smartphone, according to a report from Digitimes. Simplo Technology and Desay Battery Technology have received orders related to the future iPhone, according to a report Wednesday from the Taiwan-based media outlet, citing sources. The report also indicated that “mass production” of the phone has yet to begin, …

Read More »

Watch as driver’s phone captures celestial road rage instant karma

The driver’s sticking to the speed limit. Watch what happens. Florida Driver/YouTube screenshot by Chris Matyszczyk/CNET I am currently struggling with the belief in any deity. Even serendipity seems to have got uppity with me. So there’s a certain delight that divine justice might occasionally drop in — even if it’s only on central Florida. For the Interwebs have been …

Read More »

Taking a closer look at the camera of the HTC One M8

Now playing: Watch this: Get the most out of the HTC One M8’s new camera features 2:45 These days most people barely use their phones to actually make phone calls. We’re busy tweeting, texting, and, most importantly, snapping pictures. Image quality and photo features have become main selling points for a lot of smartphone buyers. Unlike Samsung, Nokia, and Sony, …

Read More »

Have trouble texting and walking? Apple has an idea

Apple/USPTO Those of you who have ever bumped into trouble texting while walking may appreciate a patent application from the mind of Apple. Published Thursday by the US Patent and Trademark Office, a patent application dubbed “Transparent Texting” proposes a feature that would continuously capture and display video images of the environment ahead of you via your phone’s rear-facing camera. …

Read More »

Samsung Galaxy S5 lands in shops as S4 price drops

You can try the Samsung Galaxy S5 before it goes on sale. Andrew Hoyle/CNET With the Samsung Galaxy S5 just weeks away, the price of the Galaxy S3 and Galaxy S4 has started to drop, saving you as much as £120. But if your heart’s set on the S5, you can get your hands on it today. UK retailer Phones …

Read More »

The secret to saving a wet phone or tablet

Most of the old wives’ tales about saving wet phones just don’t work. The bag of rice, a sunny window sill, a hair dryer, and the horrid oven method will quickly get you (and your phone) nowhere. Having suffered through several waterlogged phones and sacrificial experiments, I’ve found only one unexpected method to be reliable. If you’re lucky enough to …

Read More »

Foxtel adds more full seasons to on

If it’s one thing we learned from Netflix original programs — such as House of Cards and 0Orange is the New Black — it’s that people love to binge watch. Seasons 2 and 3 of Game of Thrones are now available on Foxtel. (Credit: HBO) That’s when you settle down into the couch and just shovel as many episodes of …

Read More »

What’s happening with video on demand in Australia?

Now playing: Watch this: What’s happening with video on demand in Australia? 6:08 It’s been a big couple of weeks for video on demand in Australia. Foxtel has launched Presto, a new movie VOD service, and we’ve seen the first run of reputable rumours that not only is Google’s Chromecast coming locally, but that the company is working with local …

Read More »

TCL showcase 4K Ultra HD TV range

TCL has shown off its 4K UHD TV range for the Australian market, boasting competitive pricing across a wide selection of panel sizes. TCL’s 85-inch TV. (Credit: TCL) Chinese TV manufacturer TCL is ranked third in the world for TV sales, but sits lower in the Australian marketplace, with a 7 per cent share of sales according to market research …

Read More »

Amazon to host April 2 event in NYC

For months, Amazon has been rumored to have a video set-top box in the works to rival the Google Chromecast, Roku, and Apple TV. Well, we may finally get to see it on April 2, as the company has sent out a press invite for an event in New York, where it will discuss “an update to our video business.” …

Read More »

Roku CEO: Apple TV is a money

Roku CEO and founder Anthony Wood Joan Solsman/CNET SANTA MONICA, Calif. — Roku founder and Chief Executive Anthony Wood isn’t worried about streaming-box competition like Apple TV, even if he thinks Apple maybe should be. “Apple TV is essentially an accessory for the iPad. They lose money, which is unusual for Apple,” he said Thursday, speaking at the Recode conference …

Read More »

Samsung Shape streaming devices to get Spotify

Samsung has confirmed Spotify will be coming to its Shape Multi-Room streaming products in the US by mid-2014, joining the forthcoming IHeartRadio. Samsung has told CNET Spotify Connect will be coming in Q2 2014, while IHeartRadio is imminent. The two services are part of a wider offering which will be available for the Multi-Room ecosystem which debuted on the Samsung …

Read More »

Sprint’s HD Voice to go nationwide in July

Lynn La/CNET Sprint’s HD voice feature, which has been rolled out in only a few test markets so far, will be launching nationwide by midyear, the company’s chief executive has confirmed. CEO Dan Hesse said Tuesday at the Oracle Industry Connect conference that Sprint’s HD Voice will be available nationwide “around the first of July,” according to a report by …

Read More »

Microsoft nixes Surface wireless keyboard adapter

Microsoft Microsoft is discontinuing one of the peripherals it announced in September 2013 for its Surface family of tablets. The Surface Wireless Keyboard Adapter — a thin, cylindrical device which used Bluetooth wireless to connect Surface Type and Touch covers to monitors up to 30 feet away — is no longer being manufactured. “Due to a number of factors, we …

Read More »