February, 2014

• 18 February

  Samsung updates Galaxy S4, Note 3 with Android KitKat

  

  Google’s Android 4.4.2 KitKat update, launched in October, will now hit a variety of Samsung devices. Related stories Best Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 4 Cases TV in the Bathroom: Technically Doable but a Very Bad Idea Samsung TV Sale: Save Up to $800 on Select Models at Best Buy Best Cordless Vacuum Deals: Save $168 …

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• 18 February

  Nokia’s Android phone touted in latest leaked image

  

  A tweeted ad for Nokia’s reported Android smartphone seems to confirm that it will be dubbed the Nokia X. Tweeted by usually reliable leaker @evleaks on Monday, the promo shows the name above a series of images of phones headed directly toward you. The tweet doesn’t reveal anything further, but the promo looks like one Nokia might use to tout …

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• 18 February

  BlackBerry Z3 leaked image reveals Foxconn

  

  Some people think BlackBerry these days is a bit of a joke. As in, I bought my wife the new BlackBerry. Jakarta? No, she wanted to go. Or what do you call a BlackBerry that isn’t a BackBerry? The Z3. Let’s start again. The picture above is a leaked snap purporting to be the new BlackBerry phone, previously codenamed the …

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• 18 February

  BlackBerry blasts T

  

  BlackBerry CEO John Chen — with the backing of some loyal and vocal customers — freely bashed T-Mobile’s recent e-mail marketing campaign Tuesday. The campaign was “inappropriate and ill-conceived,” Chen wrote in a blog post. T-Mobile e-mailed customers last week in a campaign to encourage BlackBerry customers to switch to an iPhone. BlackBerry users on Twitter responded with a campaign …

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• 18 February

  Samsung’s new LEDs will make better camera in Galaxy S5

  

  The Galaxy S5 hasn’t been launched yet, but Samsung is already providing some glimpses of what the device will be like. The components side of the Korean company on Tuesday unveiled several new leading-edge LED components for mobile devices. At least one of those, a reflector-integrated flash LED, will show up in the Galaxy S5, Samsung said. Related stories Best …

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• 18 February

  Samsung Galaxy S5 leak details iPhone

  

  We can count on our fingers the days left before the Samsung Galaxy S5 launches, and a new leak claims to reveal details of the new phone’s fingerprint scanner. SamMobile enthusiastically quotes “insiders” on the details of the S5’s fingerprint scanner. Like the Apple iPhone 5S, the fingerprint reader is reported to be in the home button on the front …

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• 18 February

  This app gives your Android background an amazing look

  

  Jason Cipriani/CNET Muzei Live Wallpaper is a free app from developer Roman Nurik. His name may sound familiar, as he is also the developer of the popular DashClock widget. Taking the same approach that he took with DashClock, Nurik has made Muzei Live Wallpaper free and open to developers to integrate with various services. After installing Muzei, you’ll have the …

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• 18 February

  White House says it won’t direct FCC to reclassify broadband

  

  Daniel Terdiman/CNET The Obama administration said Tuesday that although the president “vigorously supports” a free and open Internet, he can’t order the Federal Communications Commission on how to proceed in reinstating Net neutrality protections. The statement was in response to an online petition asking that the White House order the FCC to reclassify broadband providers as so-called “common carriers,” which …

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• 18 February

  Firefox OS sinks its teeth into low

  

  Firefox OS is a smartphone operating system so far aimed at lower-end phones in cost-sensitive markets. Telefonica Brazil screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET In an impressive first-year achievement, Firefox OS has found a toehold in a fiercely competitive smartphone market. The next challenge for Mozilla’s browser-based mobile operating system will be to convert that toehold into a foothold. As the struggles …

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• 18 February

  Swype

  

  Swype, the much-ballyhooed virtual keyboard technology that allows users to run their fingers around the keys to type out messages, might soon have a competitor on Windows Phone 8.1. Microsoft is planning to offer a Swype-like technology in Windows Phone 8.1, The Verge reported on Tuesday, citing people familiar with the company’s plans. A video was posted by UnleashThePhones purporting …

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