Blog Layout

Wearable tech at CES 2017: Expect a quiet year

For the past couple of years, the annual CES trade show in Las Vegas was a hotbed of new wearables. CES 2016 saw the Fitbit Blaze debut at the show, along with plenty of smart clothing concepts. CES 2015 had plenty of fitness trackers, too. CES 2017? Not so much. In the mobile space — …

Read More »

Believe it: This $13 headphone is an overachiever

The KZ ATE-HiFi in-ear headphones are getting a lot of attention from audiophiles craving decent sound, but don’t have much dough. So I had to hear them for myself and bought a pair of KZ ATE-HiFis on Amazon for $13, with free shipping for Prime customers. When I received the headphones I tore open the package, and they looked better …

Read More »

7 free apps you can use to give back

I know, I know — you’d love to donate to charity, but you’re short on both time and money. Well, today’s your lucky day, because you don’t need either of those things to start giving back! Here are seven free apps that make giving to charity ridiculously easy — and free. Donate a Photo Donate a Photo (Android and iOS) …

Read More »

Twitter releases 360

Twitter is launching live 360-degree video streams on Periscope. The social network released the feature Wednesday, with the catch being that while everyone can watch videos in 360, only a group of “select partners” — likely celebrities and influencers — are able to stream in 360 for now. Here’s what the first video looks like: The launch comes more than …

Read More »

Apple beats Samsung to top holiday phone activations

Apple had nearly twice as many phone activations this holiday season as its rival Samsung, according to new research released Tuesday. About 44 percent of new phone activations during the holidays were Apple’s iPhones, compared with Samsung’s 21 percent, said mobile-app analytics firm Flurry. While the iPhone continues to be the gift of choice, Flurry noted Samsung is “slowly growing …

Read More »

Is there a cash

Free money. That’s really what a cash-back site offers you: cash rebates you simply couldn’t have gotten otherwise. Spend $100 at a store offering 6 percent back and presto: You just pocked an extra $6. It’s not a fortune, but if you saw $6 lying on the sidewalk, you’d stop and pick it up, wouldn’t you? If there’s a downside …

Read More »

5 reasons why Windows on ARM could change computing

If Microsoft could go back in time, I’ve a pretty good idea what would happen. CEO Satya Nadella would hand his younger self the code for Microsoft’s new Win32 on ARM emulator. It’s the missing piece of the puzzle that could finally let Microsoft build Windows phones, razor-thin tablets and tiny laptops that people might actually want to buy. It …

Read More »

Facebook’s Bangkok explosion Safety Check was a false alarm

Fake news has plagued Facebook over the last year, and now even seeping into Safety Checks. The site’s Safety Check feature has been crucial during terrorist attacks and natural disasters, helping friends and families find out if their loved ones are safe during emergencies. It’s been activated across the world more than 335 times by its users, for events like …

Read More »

CES 2017: Top TV trends we expect

For a week in early January, televisions run Vegas. Sure there’s other stuff announced at the massive Consumer Electronics Show there: audio/video gear, phones, tablets, computers, streaming media devices, car tech, drones, action cameras, wearables, appliances and a whole pavilion worth of accessories. But TVs always seem to draw a big chunk of the buzz, and dominate the booths of …

Read More »