Xioami’s Mi 4 smartphone is the vendor’s latest flagship device. Aloysius Low/CNET Xiaomi, a 4-year-old Chinese smartphone company that sells high-end handsets, is now the leading device maker in China. During the second quarter of this year, Xiaomi was the most popular smartphone maker in China, earning 14 percent of the market, according to new …
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August, 2014
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4 August
BioShock heads to iOS as ‘premium priced’ game
Irrational Games/2K Games BioShock, the wildly popular franchise from video game developer Irrational Games, is coming to Apple’s iOS this summer. Publisher 2K Games is launching an iOS version of the original BioShock, complete with all of the first-person shooter action found in that title, the company has confirmed. Gamers will play through the game in the underwater city of …
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4 August
Apple tops Samsung in North American mobile Web traffic
Chitika Apple iPhone owners continue to surpass users of Samsung phones at generating a greater level of Web traffic in North America, according to a report from online ad network Chitika. In new data released Monday, Chitika found that Apple accounted for 52.3 percent of all smartphone traffic seen on the Web in the US and Canada last month, a …
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4 August
Square purchases food delivery startup Caviar
Caviar Square has finally confirmed its purchase of Caviar, a food delivery startup that could help the mobile payments company with its bottom line. The company announced its acquisition Monday after rumors surfaced last month. Square did not disclose any details of the deal, but The New York Times reported that Square paid $90 million worth of stock for the …
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4 August
10 best TV technologies
Photo by HJK Last week when I listed my 10 least favorite TV technologies, I promised to follow up with the 10 I actually like. The list below comprises the display technologies and extras I consider most worthwhile, improving the viewing experience, picture quality or convenience. Presented in no particular order, here they are. HD resolution Maybe you’re too young …
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3 August
Japanese carrier KDDI announces HTC J Butterfly
KDDI There’s already been rumors of a Windows Phone 8-powered HTC phone based on the One M8, but the latest HTC J Butterfly announced for Japanese carrier KDDI isn’t it. Instead, the sequel to last year’s Butterfly S comes sporting similar specs to the One M8 flagship, with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 801 processor and a similar dual-camera rear system. The …
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3 August
Samsung Galaxy stops bullet during fight, report says
A pocket protector CNET I’d like to save quite a few commenters the trouble of adding their own “joke.” So here goes: If he’d had an iPhone 5, he’d be dead. Now, back to the story. It is said that a man dropped his wallet in a sandwich shop in Xinjiang, China. Another man picked it up for him and …
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3 August
Optus “streamlines” prepaid with new monthly and daily plans
Optus has revamped its prepaid mobile offering, with two daily plans joining the more traditional monthly system. The Prepaid Daily plan offers 30 mins of calls, unlimited SMS and 40MB of data for AU$1. Go over your call and data limited and Optus will “auto bump” the plan to AU$1.50 with unlimited calls and 80MB of data. From there, you’ll …
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2 August
Back to the future: Shindo’s magical speakers
Over the last 17 years, I’ve reviewed hundreds of speakers — and heard many hundreds more — but something about the sound of the Shindo Laboratory 604 speakers turned me around. I wasn’t thinking about transparency, accuracy, tight bass, or delicate treble. And I don’t know why, but the music had more substance, more juice, more of the essence of …
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1 August
Tablets for your TV
Infrared blasters can turn your tablet into a universal remote for things like TVs, DVD players, and projectors. Josh Miller/CNET Tablets are great for watching TV on the go, thanks to pixel-dense and brilliantly colorful screens, but they can also double as a universal remote. Tablets that pack IR blasters can control everything from your TV and cable box to …
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