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Marc Newson on iPhone: ‘God is in the detail’

In conversation at the Art Gallery of New South Wales today, iconic Australian designer Marc Newson told CNET that when it comes to the iPhone, designers understand the difference immediately, while “Mr and Mrs Average” don’t. Marc Newson, CBE: “The better something is made, the less noise it makes.” (Credit: Seamus Byrne/CNET) Marc Newson is one of Australia’s leading industrial …

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5 apps to show off the iPhone 5

So, what’s the killer feature of the iPhone 5? Arguably, its speed. Or, is it the screen? A lot of parts of Apple’s latest iPhone have been tweaked top to bottom, and the first challenge you might find is picking a few apps that take advantage of the iPhone 5 fully. Screenshot by Scott Stein I expect many more in …

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RIM fixes BlackBerry outage that hit Europe, Middle East, Africa

RIM’s BlackBerry e-mail service was offline earlier today for users across the Europe, Middle East, Africa. But service has since been restored, according to the company. Research In Motion confirmed the outage in a tweet earlier today and said that services should now be up and running again. A spokesman for RIM sent CNET the following statement from CEO and …

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Local search field test: Apple Maps vs. Google Maps

Yesterday we performed a field test of the turn-by-turn directions on both the iOS 6 Apple Maps app on the iPad and Google Maps on a Samsung Galaxy Tab. Both fared pretty well with getting us to our destinations, but Google Maps came out on top. As we pointed out yesterday, a number of people have been complaining about the …

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New Google Voice Search, Siri are closely matched (hands

CNET This article updates the original hands-on comparison posted on July 2, 2012, to include changes to iOS 6. I also compare Siri on iOS 6 to Samsung’s S Voice (found in the Samsung Galaxy S3 flagship phone. Back in June, Google’s Android 4.1 Jelly Bean managed to bring Android’s voice actions to the forefront in a meaningful way. Mostly, …

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Nokia: Hey, Apple, our mapping is better than yours

Nokia has found a vulnerability in Apple’s armor, and it’s taking advantage. The mobile company yesterday posted a blog on its site discussing the value of its mapping applications. Although some gloating might have been warranted, Nokia just couldn’t help itself from taking a few swipes at Apple and Google. “Unlike our competitors, which are financing their location assets with …

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HTC 8X and 8S hint at Windows Phone 8 pricing

Here’s a taste of how much Windows Phone 8 will cost: prices have emerged for the HTC 8X and HTC 8S as they prepare to take on the Nokia Lumia range. The dual-core HTC 8X will cost £400, challenging the Nokia Lumia 920 also announced this month. The 4.3-inch high-definition screen shows off the new Windows Phone 8 homescreen, which …

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Kindle Fire HD vs. iPad

The iPad and Kindle Fire HD are two different tablets intended for slightly different market segments. The iPad is a “does everything” tablet, while the Fire HD remains focused on media consumption. However, most people shopping for a tablet don’t have the funds to afford both (not that I’m at all encouraging anyone purchase both) and will therefore have to …

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