How does a wireless carrier get your attention? By promising to cut your phone bill by half. Sprint wagered that consumers would be willing to ignore its reputation for subpar service if that meant saving a few bucks. True, it has upgraded its network and sped up its service, but the reality of those improvements …
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Virtual reality let me paint in space, and it was pure magic
I’ve just walked half a mile up a mountain in the snow, but that’s not what’s taken my breath away. That honour belongs to Quill, a new virtual-reality tool from Oculus that allows you to paint in the air around you simply by waving your hands. It’s one of many cool and clever virtual-reality developments here at the 2016 Sundance …
Read More »Google Nexus 5X and 6P get a Valentine’s Day sweetheart deal
Anyone can buy their lover roses and chocolates for Valentine’s Day, but what about a shiny new phone? Google is making it easier for aspiring casanovas to do just that by dropping the prices of the Nexus 5X and Nexus 6P phones by $50. The Google Nexus 5X can be purchased unlocked at $299 for the 16GB unit and $349 …
Read More »Amazon rebuffs idea of partnering with PayPal
Ever wanted to use PayPal to make purchases on Amazon? Don’t hold your breath. That’s the message Amazon Payments’ vice president Patrick Gauthier offered in an interview with CNET on Monday when asked whether his company might someday bring PayPal’s digital payments service to Amazon.com. “It’s quite simple,” Gauthier said. “Amazon starts with the customer. If our customers were asking …
Read More »Xiaomi Mi 5 set for debut at MWC on 24 February
Chinese mobile manufacturer Xiaomi has confirmed that its next flagship smartphone, the Mi 5, will launch next month at the Mobile World Congress trade show in Barcelona. Xiaomi’s Global Vice President Hugo Barra confirmed the launch on Twitter, exclaiming, “#Mi5 is almost here! Xiaomi’s first product launch in 2016, on February 24. It’s everything you imagined, and more.” Specs of …
Read More »Apple’s iPhone growth hits a wall
We may be finally getting over the iPhone. Apple on Tuesday said it sold 74.8 million iPhones in the fiscal first quarter, ended December 26, missing Wall Street expectations and posting the slowest growth since the company began selling the smartphones in 2007. Sales were essentially flat compared with the same quarter last year, when it sold 74.5 million units. …
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On Tuesday, GoPro and Periscope announced an update to the Periscope app would allow users to stream from a GoPro action camera as well as the iPhone’s camera. The potential for streaming from a smaller camera intended to be used in extreme situations is limitless. And that’s pretty exciting. To use the new feature, you’ll need to own a Hero …
Read More »Boost Mobile intros two family plans, ‘pays’ you to watch ads
Sprint’s prepaid brand Boost Mobile wants to pay you to watch ads — and that’s not all. The wireless carrier came out swinging on Tuesday with a bundle of announcements that include two new family plans, free phones and roaming in Mexico. $5 ad-watching credit Boost will give customers using Android phones a $5 monthly bill credit for installing the …
Read More »Wild ride? Uber can track your driver’s phone to verify your complaint
Is your Uber driver going too fast or stopping too short? The ride-hailing service says it will now be able to find out. Uber has been conducting a test program to measure the actions of its drivers, the San Francisco company said in a blog post Tuesday. By checking the GPS and accelerometers in a driver’s smartphone, Uber can detect …
Read More »Can AT&T out
AT&T is on a mission to touch every aspect of your life. The Dallas telco already runs huge wireless, home Internet and TV services. And it wants to connect your car, smartwatch, glucose monitor and potentially even your city. Now, it’s hoping to be responsible for something more: delivering video you want, when and where you want it and on …
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