Rear-projection TVs used to be the only way to get the “big-screen” experience at home. With the advent, and diminishing price of, large flat-screen LCDs and plasmas, the RPTV has become something of an endangered species. In fact, only one company, Mitsubishi, still makes RPTVs. Many people still enjoy their RPTV, and I’ve received several …

In my view, smartphones are all about the future, and the best handsets are usually the ones with the freshest, slickest mobile technology. Android 4.1 Jelly Bean, Google’s latest and greatest operating system though remains frustratingly out of reach unless you own an unlocked Samsung Galaxy Nexus. Even so, the number of phones running Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich software …

Amazon is planning to launch several new tablets, according to comments made by one of its retail partners. Speaking to Reuters in an interview published today, Demos Parneros, president of U.S. retail for Staples, said that Amazon is currently working on “up to five or six” tablets that will come in all different sizes. One of the versions will include …

Cisco Systems plans to reduce its global workforce by about 2 percent, or 1,300 positions, as part of the company’s continuing restructuring to cut costs and increase profits. The layoffs are “part of our plan to drive simplicity, speed of decisions and agility across Cisco,” spokesperson Karen Tillman said in a statement today. “We routinely review our business to determine …

Beats — the company behind the Beats by Dre range of headphones — has bought back 25 per cent of its shares from HTC for $150 million. The Taiwanese phone manufacturer ploughed $300 million into Beatslast year, which at the time made it the majority shareholder. It still leaves HTC as the largest single external shareholder, owning around 25 per cent …

Google’s Asus-made Nexus 7 tablet has been selling fast around the world. So fast that Google has had to stop taking orders for the 16GB Nexus 7 through the Google Play store. The 16GB Nexus 7 is selling fast. (Credit: CNET Australia) Thankfully, that’s a problem specific to the US and the UK, with Australian users of Google Play faced …

Nokia is considering trying something new to jumpstart its declining mobile business, according to a new report. The mobile company is currently in talks with European carriers to sign an exclusive partnership for its upcoming Windows Phone 8-based device, the Financial Times is reporting today, citing sources. The deals could see Nokia’s devices offered on fewer networks, and give carriers …

Windows Phone 8 is coming in November, closely following Windows 8 when it launches at the end of October. It’s the winter of Windows! The new mobile phone software will be released to phone makers in September, before going public in new phones in November. HTC, Huawei, Nokia and Samsung will build Windows blowers packing Windows Phone 8. That date …

The Asus Transformer Pad, Transformer Prime and Transformer Pad Infinity are all getting a taste of Jelly Bean. There’s no word on an exact date — just “in the coming months” — but at least we know it’s on the way. Asus sent out a note confirming the update, BGR reports. This follows HTC’s lead in announcing Android 4.1 would …

Huawei and AT&T are teaming up to bring forth a sequel of the AT&T Fusion, an entry-level Android GoPhone. The A&T Fusion 2 recently cleared the FCC; the files include elements as rich as a consumer-ready user manual. That user manual tells us that the Android follow-up will has a microSD card, an FM radio, 3G speeds, and the Swype …