October, 2013

• 4 October

  Audiophile Odyssey: Behind the Scenes at B&W, Meridian, and Abbey Road Studios

  

  Among the ancient castles, quaint houses, and picturesque countryside, Great Britain is actually a hotbed of high-end audio. Brands big and small pepper the island country from the southern coast to the northern highlands. On a recent trip, I had the opportunity to visit three such storied companies: Bowers & Wilkins (speakers and headphones), Meridian …

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• 3 October

  Amazon plans two smart phones, like iPhone 5S and 5C

  

  Amazon is taking a leaf out of Apple’s book with not one but two smart phones. Like the recent iPhone 5S and iPhone 5C, Amazon could be planning two phones: a high-powered model with novel features, and a lower-specced cheaper version. The more expensive of the two, codenamed Smith, is reported to boast an eye-tracking interface, which has a camera …

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• 3 October

  Amazon’s ‘Smith’ smartphone eyes 3D, four cameras

  

  Amazon is working on not one, but two separate smartphones, according to a new report. The e-retail giant’s flagship handset is currently codenamed “Smith,” TechCrunch reported on Wednesday, citing people who claim to have knowledge of its plans. The device was previously known as Project B, but after the Wall Street Journal reported on its features earlier this year, Amazon …

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• 3 October

  Court: Samsung execs told terms of secret Nokia

  

  Samsung executives might have been able to access patent-licensing terms between Apple and Nokia, despite rules disallowing such access. Foss Patents’ Florian Mueller on Thursday published court documents filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of California on Wednesday that suggest Samsung might have been inappropriately given access to a patent-licensing deal between Apple and Nokia. Related …

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• 3 October

  Twitter leaves no doubt: It’s a mobile

  

  Twitter isn’t shy about touting its mobile prowess. In its IPO filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, the microblogging company pulled back the curtain on its operations to show off a business that not only has a healthy presence in the mobile arena, but also is actually intimately tied to it. “Mobile has become the primary driver …

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• 3 October

  UberX rolls out price cut in California after regulatory win

  

  After getting a regulatory win in California, Uber is ready to push for growth in the southern part of the state. Uber’s ride-sharing service UberX announced Thursday that it’s temporarily cutting its fares by 30 percent or more in Los Angeles and San Diego, in hopes of increasing rides. The price cuts — 30 percent less in Los Angeles and …

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• 3 October

  Taking touch beyond the screen with futuristic human interface concepts at CEATEC 2013

  

  TOKYO, Japan — There are plenty of shows around the world where you can see great consumer devices. Plenty of shows that trot out the gadgets that will hit stores in the next few weeks or months, gadgets already being stamped out on pristine manufacturing lines somewhere. Though hugely important, these shows rarely offer a glimpse into anything beyond the …

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• 3 October

  Samsung predicts record operating profit of $9.3B in Q3

  

  Samsung expects to post a record operating profit of 10.1 trillion won ($9.3 billion) in the third quarter, as an expected rebound in its semiconductor business offsets smartphone market saturation fears. In guidance issued Thursday ahead of a full financial statement later this month, the electronics giant said its operating profit would come in between 9.9 trillion and 10.3 trillion …

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• 3 October

  Narrative Clip wearable camera to ship November 1

  

  About a year ago, Kickstarter project Memoto hoped to raise $50,000 toward the development of a small, wearable camera that would automatically snap photos throughout your day, the idea being to “lifelog” your experiences in searchable, shareable records. The campaign raised $550,000. Unfortunately, the estimated delivery period — February 2013 — came and went, and went, and went. But early …

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• 3 October

  Jelly Bean now on half of Android devices as KitKat looms

  

  As Android KitKat hurtles towards us, its predecessor Jelly Bean is still expanding, reaching near enough half of Android smart phones and tablets. Android KitKat is set for a possible release this month. KitKat follows previous generations of Android also named after sweet treats: Cupcake, Donut, Eclair, Froyo, Gingerbread, Honeycomb, Ice Cream Sandwich, and Jelly Bean. According to the latest …

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