July, 2014

• 10 July

  Wearable tech will keep failing

  

  Sarah Tew/CNET SAN FRANCISCO — Raise your hand if you’ve ever plunked down $100 to $200 on a wearable device, perhaps a Fitbit or a Jawbone wrist-worn activity tracker, and then months later found it deposited in a drawer, without a charge and as despondent-looking as a last-generation cell phone. Even at the Wearable Technologies …

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• 10 July

  Verizon Wireless adds more than 1.4 million contract customers

  

  Verizon Communications CEO Lowell McAdam James Martin/CNET Verizon Wireless expects to report a net gain of more than 1.4 million postpaid customers in the second quarter, helped along by company-record tablet additions and smartphone growth. “We think this is going to be a great quarter for us,” Lowell McAdam, chairman and chief executive of Verizon Communications, parent of Verizon Wireless, …

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• 10 July

  Correct Google Now with ‘No, I said’ command

  

  Jason Cipriani/CNET Controlling technology with voice commands is becoming a part of our everyday lives. When you can talk to a watch, a pair of glasses, a computer, or a smartphone, it’s surprising it’s still possible to feel alone. (I’m not serious. Or am I?) Related stories How to get started with Google Now Android L will bring new design, …

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• 10 July

  Cell phone unlocking bill moves forward in Senate

  

  Consumers are one tiny step closer to being able to take their phones to another carrier when they switch service providers. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday unanimously voted to approve a bill that will make it easier for consumers to unlock their cell phones. Once unlocked, wireless subscribers can then take those phones to a different wireless …

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• 10 July

  If your headphones sound dull or lifeless, you might need a headphone amplifier

  

  The Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Picollo, shown with an iPod Nano. Cypher Labs I’ve reviewed a ton of portable digital converter/headphone amplifiers, but what we have here with the Cypher Labs AlgoRhythm Picollo is just a portable headphone amp. This little guy can coax better sound out of headphones than the amplifier built into your phone or portable music player. That’s …

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• 10 July

  Cricket’s back

  

  A seasonal summer promo skims costs on some phones. Cricket Promotional sales may be a dime a dozen in the cell phone industry, but for a lot of people, every little bit helps. AT&T-owned Cricket Wireless gets in the spirit of back-to-school with a limited-time promotion that trims back costs on several of its prepaid phones. Depending on the device …

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• 10 July

  ​QR codes aren’t useless after all, study says

  

  PayPal Nielsen’s latest report on mobile payments isn’t too surprising, save one tidbit: people like using QR codes. The study, released Thursday, found that mobile payment users actually prefer methods involving quick response (QR) codes or bar codes. Almost half, 45 percent, of the nearly 4,000 people surveyed by Nielsen said they use the method to check out with their …

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• 10 July

  Amazon asks FAA to let it ramp up drone development

  

  Amazon’s Prime Air prototype. Amazon Amazon is asking the federal government if it can start testing drones in its own backyard to speed up its development of Prime Air shipping, according to a letter published to the Federal Aviation Administration’s site on Thursday. If granted, Amazon will be able to test its drones outside of the testing sites designated by …

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• 10 July

  iPhone 6 might let you ‘feel’ objects on screen

  

  The iPhone 5S CNET The next killer feature on Apple’s expected iPhone 6 could be a display that provides tactile feedback to users — giving users the impression, for instances, of a physical keyboard on a flat touchscreen. This latest iPhone 6 rumor stems from a report Wednesday on Chinese site Laoyaoba, which said so-called “haptics” technology will be added …

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• 10 July

  Scoop: Kyocera developing smartphone with sapphire crystal display

  

  CNET has learned from an industry source that Kyocera, the Japanese-based mobile company known for its rugged handsets , is in the process of developing a smartphone with a sapphire display. Related stories: This sapphire smartphone screen is strong, strong, strong Virtually indestructible sapphire smartphone screen (video) Sapphire phone screens not as strong as you think, says Corning In addition, …

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