commentary When it comes to mobile devices — specifically tablets — size certainly matters. Toshiba has apparently forgotten this concept with its new Excite 13 tablet. The new tablet comes in at a whopping 13.3 inches. And it has the price to match its supersize frame: $650 for the lower-end 32GB model and $750 for …

Now playing: Watch this: Comparing the different typefaces on phones 2:31 Steve Matteson holds up the Nokia Lumia 900, a Windows Phone that features his Segoe UI typeface. Josh Miller/CNET What makes a great font for a smartphone? Aside from legibility, is it its simplicity, its brand recognition, or the way it influences people’s feelings toward the product? From neutral …

Now playing: Watch this: HTC One S 2:29 If we were to play Top Trumps with Android phone spec sheets, the HTC One S would not be the mobile to propel you to victory — that honour might just belong to its beefy brute of a brother, the One X. Nevertheless, we bestowed a respectable four and a half stars …

Tumblr, arguably the hippest blogging platform on the Web these days, just unveiled version 3.0 of its Android mobile app, which not only looks better, but also loads faster than before. First thing you should notice about the fully refreshed Tumblr app is its brand-new interface. The new Post screen, with its large, colorful icons, is sexier, there’s improved photo …

The Nokia Lumia 900 may be topping the charts at online retailer Amazon, but a quick check of AT&T stores in Manhattan right after the launch shows that AT&T, Nokia, and Microsoft still have a long way to go in educating AT&T’s salesforce on how to sell the device. The newly launched Windows Phone topped the cell phone bestseller list …

Sprint could be the next wireless carrier to offer the Samsung Galaxy Note, at least according to one image found online. TechnoBuffalo discovered the massive 5.3-inch smartphone prominently displayed in one of the provider’s online marketing tools. Although the handset is advertising a link for Mobile Controls, TechnoBuffalo surmises that the image strongly resembles Samsung’s titanic device. Of course, this …

Pebble The concept of Pebble’s “smart watch” is simple — a clean interface running useful apps and wrapped in a fashionable watch interface. The key to Pebble’s inevitable success will be its apps. According to its Kickstarter page, the Pebble E-Paper Watch will ship with the capability to run several apps using some of the functionality of your iPhone or …

Amazon’s latest addition to its Appstore could very well ignite the ire of a litigious patent holder, and cause a new legal and monetary headache for app makers. Amazon yesterday announced its in-app purchase service, offering developers a way to let users spend money inside of apps. While not a new feature among mobile apps, it adds new ways for …

Perhaps acknowledging that ironclad security isn’t always fun, Research In Motion announced plans to allow users of its BlackBerry Messenger service to view updates from the popular social-media platforms Facebook and Twitter. It may come as a shock, but loyal BlackBerry Messenger addicts exist in a corporate walled garden lacking a link to the engaging (or distracting) social-media action their …

If you own an iPhone or iPad and an Apple TV, odds are you have taken advantage of AirPlay. But what about those apps that don’t support AirPlay? You may think you are stuck watching the video on your iOS device, instead of your TV. Well, before you get too discouraged, there’s another method you can try, and you may …

Is your phone contract good value? Chances are it’s not, unfortunately, as new figures reveal we waste an eye-watering £5 billion a year by being on the wrong deal. That sounds like an improbably large number, but new figures from tariff comparison site Billmonitor and phone-flogger Carphone Warehouse suggest that each mobile user overpays an average of £194 each year. …

If Nokia has any shot at a comeback, its Lumia smartphones will need to make a real dent in the Chinese market. Nokia is currently working with one Chinese carrier, China Telecom, but plans to expand to others, CEO Stephen Elop said during a conference call today to discuss its first-quarter warning and second-quarter outlook. “We plan to broaden it …

Now playing: Watch this: LG BP620 2:19 The BP620 is LG’s “flagship” Blu-ray player for 2012, but you couldn’t tell by its $130 street price or ordinary feature set. It includes all the important features that manufacturers are charging for this year, such as 3D compatibility, built-in Wi-Fi, and a suite of streaming-media services. The big catch, especially if you …

When the first Amazon-skinned Android tablet — the Kindle Fire, pictured above — arrives in the US on 15 November, the $200 (£125) device promises to be the smoothest and most seamless gadget for media consumption ever. And that includes the iPad. While the Kindle Fire has yet to spark into life — there is no UK launch planned yet …

The Samsung Galaxy S3 is set to boast a physical home button — just like the Galaxy Note. The hotly tipped follow-up to the hugely succesful Galaxy S2 is still under tight wraps, but word on the street suggests both hardware and software will echo the Note. The latest rumour, from UnwiredView, is that the S3 will have a physical …