We’ve been privy to a screening of the first six minutes of The Dark Knight Rises, the third Batman movie from director Christopher Nolan. The movie’s not out until summer next year, so to whet your appetite, we thought we’d lay out our first impressions of the movie’s high-octane opening. SPOILER WARNING: We’ll try to be …

Here’s a surprising stat: Apple TV now accounts for almost a third of all set-top media streamers sold this year, according to a report. That’s right, a third. Not too bad for something Apple describes as “a hobby”. That’s compared to things like the Boxee Box and the Roku — not cable or satellite PVRs such as Sky+ or TiVo …

The original Toshiba Thrive 10-inch tablet impressed us with its support for full-size ports and the fact that we could remove its battery and swap in a new one. Features that are still unmatched in mainstream tablets. The 7-inch version is here now, but with its smaller form factor can it possibly offer the same experience? Probably not, but you …

T-Mobile USA is temporarily allowing consumers to pay for its mobile products in monthly installments rather than in one big payment. Billed as the “4G Super Sale,” T-Mobile is offering this option as a promotion this weekend. All of its smartphones, including flagship products such as the Samsung Galaxy S II and the HTC Amaze 4G, as well as its …

The AT&T 4G LTE speeds guessing game is unofficially over. Late last week we began hearing reports of the LTE icon popping up in the notification bars of AT&T’s three compatible smartphones–the Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, HTC Vivid, and LG Nitro HD. So, I fired up Ookla’s Speedtest.net app to test diagnostics (for ping, download, and upload speeds) on …

Now playing: Watch this: Ep. 203: WebOS is Doomed to Fail! 39:30 Is HP’s WebOS doomed to fail and destined to die a slow, unremarkable death? Yes! Sorry if you’re one of the few still clinging to this irrelevant operating system, but its days are numbered. In this episode of Dialed In we discuss the dim future of WebOS plus …

The National Transportation Safety Board is recommending that states ban the use of cell phones and other portable electronic devices while driving. The five-member board unanimously agreed to the recommendation today, according to a press release. Specifically, the agency is recommending that the ban apply to both hands-free and handheld phones. Several states have already passed laws restricting text messaging …

The Hipstamatic D-Series camera app announced today offers a new way to tie photos and social networking together. Synthetic, developer of the popular retro-image iPhone app Hipstamatic, have enjoyed plenty of success in the iTunes App Store since the app was released two years ago. Now, the company aims to make the retro-image-taking experience more social with its new D-Series …

Stop me if you’ve heard (and I’m sure that you have), but after months of waiting and a seemingly endless barrage of delays, the Samsung Galaxy Nexus may be available for purchase later this week. The latest gossip, which was obtained by Engadget, suggests that the initial release won’t be directly from Verizon Wireless, but through retail outlet Costco. According …

Things must be going badly. Apple is notorious for its uncompromising approach, so when it starts softening its usually stringent regulations, you know something’s up. And that’s exactly what it’s doing with its iAd mobile advertising service, the Wall Street Journal reports. Apple is making concessions to advertisers more tempted by Google’s approach, which is cheaper, and works on more devices …

You finally know which gadgets you’re buying for friends and loved ones this holiday season. But now you’re stumped about whether to shell out the extra bucks for features like 3G on the Kindle Touch or higher resolution on the Roku video-streaming box. Have no fear; Ask Maggie is here to help. Kindle Touch: 3G or Wi-Fi-only? Dear Maggie, My …

This could be a little controversial. Microsoft is offering the chance of winning a free Windows Phone, in exchange for Android owners sharing tales of woe on Twitter concerning Google’s operating system, Electric Pig reports. People are encouraged to use the hashtag #droidrage to vent their dissatisfaction. Windows Phone ‘evangelist’ Ben Rudolph tweeted: “Share your android malware story… and you …

According to a report over at TechCrunch (drawing on Calcalist, a Hebrew publication), Apple is preparing to purchase Israeli flash memory manufacturer Anobit for $400 million to $500 million. Apple The acquisition would be CEO Tim Cook’s first as the guy in charge at Apple, though he has been through the process before. Apple recently purchased P.A. Semi in order …

Photos of the upcoming Sony Ericsson Xperia Arc HD (codenamed the Xperia Nozomi) have leaked, along with a host of specs. The details, sent to GSMArena, suggest that when it launches the mobile will be slightly bigger than the Arc, sporting a 4.3-inch LCD display. Not unusual, but we’re far more intrigued by the purported 720×1,280-pixel HD resolution — so …

A flaw has been found in the Windows Phone operating system that causes the phone’s ‘Messaging’ app to break upon receiving a malicious SMS, CNET News reports. Once the devious text has been sent to the phone, trying to open your messages will force the device to reboot and prevents the Messaging app from opening. A malicious Facebook chat or …