Electronista | Gadgets for Geeks

Picture supposedly taken with Galaxy Note III shows up online

Sun, 19 May 2013 21:03:00 GMT

A new image has appeared online that could have been taken by an as yet announced Samsung Galaxy Note III. The image appeared on SmartFan over the weekend, showing nothing of much interest. What was notable was the image's EXIF data, which lists the device taking the picture as GT-N7200....

T-Mobile to get LTE version of Galaxy S III

Sun, 19 May 2013 20:06:00 GMT

An LTE version of Samsung's Galaxy S III will be showing up on T-Mobile's network even as Samsung has moved on to the next generation of its Galaxy S series. The carrier already supported the Galaxy S III, but T Mobile's network wasn't LTE-compatible until just last month....

Report: Yahoo board approves $1.1B Tumblr acquisition

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:06:00 GMT

In the latest step of CEO Marissa Mayer's plan to turn around popular but stagnating Internet giant Yahoo, the company's board has reportedly approved a $1.1 billion acquisition of the social sharing site Tumblr. The board met on Sunday to discuss the acquisition, which appears to have been a foregone conclusion due to the fact that Yahoo had already scheduled a Monday event on Friday. The company is expected to announce the acquisition at that event....

Google Glass spotted fitted to prescription frames at Google I/O

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:30:00 GMT

Google is still working on a version of its head-mounted display for wearers of glasses, it has emerged. A number of Google employees roaming the Google I/0 developer event were said to be wearing the modified version of Google Glass, working with prescription lenses and a different frame to the headband usually provided with the device....

Mini review: Samsung Galaxy S4 with Exynos 5 Octa SoC

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:17:00 GMT

We have already published our full review of the Galaxy S4 for the US, which ships with a Qualcomm Snapdragon 600 quad-core processor. In some international markets, the Galaxy S4 ships with Samsung's own Exynos 5 Octa, an eight-core chip that uses ARM's big.LITTLE architecture. We have been using one for the past week, putting it through its paces, although our focus here is to see whether US customers are missing out on any performance....

'Crazy ant' invading Texas, destroying electronics

Sat, 18 May 2013 23:58:00 GMT

Researchers at the University of Texas at Austin have discovered that the US fire ant population is being pushed out by "tawny crazy ants," with an affinity to the interior of electronic devices. The ants are capable of nesting in nearly any container, and as they travel, they disrupt other ant populations....

Google planning media streamer, possible Nexus Q refresh in FCC filing

Sat, 18 May 2013 19:13:00 GMT

A filing at the FCC suggests that Google is not letting go from its television plans, with the appearance of a new device. The item, described in the filing as a "media player," has been submitted for various tests, though there is little in the way of details for the device to be found inside the multiple PDF documents on the FCC website....

T-Mobile sticks with ISIS, won't support Google Wallet

Sat, 18 May 2013 18:32:00 GMT

T-Mobile customers wanting to use Google Wallet are out of luck, as the carrier confirmed this week that it's blocking the mobile payment solution. Instead, T-Mobile wants its customers to use ISIS, a carrier-backed standard that is currently only available in two metropolitan areas. The confirmation marks T-Mobile as just the latest of the major carriers to block Google's standard as they prepare to roll out their own....

MetroPCS bows out of Net Neutrality lawsuit against FCC

Sat, 18 May 2013 02:26:00 GMT

In a court motion filed earlier today, MetroPCS is dropping its net neutrality opposition lawsuit against the Federal Communications Commission. The company filed a motion for voluntary dismissal, leaving Verizon to willingly fight the decree and US government on its own....

Mozilla delays plans to block third-party tracking cookies in Firefox

Sat, 18 May 2013 01:48:00 GMT

Mozilla is delaying plans to start blocking third-party tracking cookies in Firefox by default, according to an announcement. The company states that more work is needed for the anti-tracking feature. "The idea is that if you have not visited a site (including the one to which you are navigating currently) and it wants to put a cookie on your computer, the site is likely not one you have heard of or have any relationship with," explains Mozilla's Brendan Eich. "But this is only likely, not always true."...

Yahoo schedules press event for May 20, topic 'something special'

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:52:00 GMT

Yahoo is holding a "product-related" event on May 20. The New York City event will see CEO Marissa Mayer speaking on an undisclosed topic for about an hour at 5PM EST, which the company calls in an mass email "something special."...

Amazon axes Zombieland, Browsers TV pilots; picks up two others

Sat, 18 May 2013 00:32:00 GMT

Amazon has cancelled two television pilots, after poor screenings. The television version of Zombieland will not be made into a series by the internet retailer, nor will Bebe Neuwirth's musical comedy Browsers about interns at a Huffington Post-esque website. Amazon has picked up John Goodman's Washington DC satire Alpha House, and Silicon Valley sitcom Betas....

German judge stays Nokia versus HTC remote management trial

Fri, 17 May 2013 23:32:00 GMT

The Mannheim Regional Court has stayed one chapter of the ongoing Nokia versus HTC trial in Germnay. Judge Andreas Voss ordered the stay over a feature proving supervisory remote permission management to employees' Android-based phones and tablets. While HTC is infringing on the patent, the court believes the patent itself to be invalid....

Study: tablets, smartphones rule mobile gaming; handhelds wane

Fri, 17 May 2013 22:05:00 GMT

A report by market analysts App Annie and IDC continue to show that mobile devices such as the iPhone or the Nexus 7 control a clear majority of mobile gaming interest and dollars spent on purchases, with portable handhelds fading rapidly. The first quarter of 2013 saw another milestone achieved for the Android platform, with it seeing more downloads and consumer spending on games than iOS for the first time....

'iRadio' announcement may miss WWDC, say sources

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:03:00 GMT

Apple's mired negotiations with the music industry may prevent it from announcing an "iRadio" service at WWDC on June 10th, industry sources tell The Verge. The people note that Apple is having trouble not just with Sony/ATV, but also BMG. At the same time they suggest there's still a lot of "market momentum" behind iRadio, and that major players such as Universal want to see it launch as soon as possible....

Samsung expects to reach 10M Galaxy S4 sales milestone next week

Fri, 17 May 2013 20:59:00 GMT

Samsung is expecting to hit the 10 million sales milestone for its flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, in the next week. If reached, Samsung co-CEO Shin Jong-kyun believes it would become the fastest selling smartphone in the company's history, beating its predecessor to the very same sales barrier by almost three weeks....

Apple devices officially OK'd for secure government networks

Fri, 17 May 2013 19:00:00 GMT

Apple's iPhones, iPads and other devices running iOS 6 or higher are officially cleared for use on the US government's secure networks, the Department of Defence announced on Friday. The final approval, which we first reported on in March, also grants Samsung Android devices that are running the Korean company's Knox security lockdown, as well as BlackBerry devices running BB10 the ability to be used on secure networks. The move is expected to further hurt BlackBerry, as it faces competition in the military space for the first time....

Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 with 8-inch screen image, specifications leak

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:56:00 GMT

An eight-inch version of the Samsung Galaxy Tab 3 has apparently surfaced, with rendered images accompanying a list of specifications. The alleged leaked details come after the company revealed the third generation of its popular line of tablets, though that uses a more conventional 7-inch display and smaller form factor than what has now appeared....

HTC doubles production capacity for HTC One due to 'strong demand'

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:53:00 GMT

HTC is working on doubling the amount of HTC One devices it can produce, in order to meet what it calls "strong demand" from its customers. The company aims to manufacture twice as many of the flagship smartphone as it did last month, with a view to increasing it further as time goes on, after overcoming supply chain issues and a legal misunderstanding with Nokia over its microphones....

Nvidia opens Shield pre-orders three days early, prices at $349

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:58:00 GMT

Nvidia has opened up pre-orders for its handheld gaming device, three days earlier than anticipated. Orders for the Nvidia Shield have commenced through the Nvidia website, with retail partners Newegg, Gamestop, and Canada Computer also accepting pre-orders from customers wanting the Tegra 4-powered Android game system....

Corning introduces Lotus XT Glass, aimed at high-res displays

Fri, 17 May 2013 16:31:00 GMT

The maker of the Gorilla Glass used in iPhones and other mobile devices has unveiled its latest fusion-made, resilient glass for high-resolution displays. Corning, which is also continuing its Gorilla Glass line with a third version this year, officially introduced a "second-generation glass substrate" called Lotus XT Glass. The new variant features many of the properties of some of Corning's other products while being easier and cheaper to manufacture -- a fact that may persuade tech companies to use it in figure products....

Air Force estimates savings of $5.7M per year due to iPad use

Fri, 17 May 2013 15:18:00 GMT

A move by the US Air Force last year to replace maps, charts, logs and other paperwork contained in a kit with iPads is expected to save more than $50 million over next 10 years. The 18,000 deployed iPads form an "electronic flight bag" that can hold flight manuals, weather and navigation charts and volumes of technical and procedural information -- eliminating the need for the 30- to 40-pound flight bag pilots used to have to carry with them, resulting in savings ranging from fuel costs to printing costs to even reducing pilot back injuries....

White Google Nexus 4 rumored for June 10th release with Android 4.3

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:29:00 GMT

A white version of the Google Nexus 4 smartphone could be released in the next month. A rumor suggests the white mobile device will become available through Google Play on the 10th of June, and will be accompanied by the release of the next iteration of the Android mobile operating system, version 4.3....

UK: Tablets now outselling both notebooks and desktop PCs combined

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:00:00 GMT

A report from market analysts IDC looking at market conditions in the United Kingdom says that in the first quarter of 2013, tablet shipments outpaced the combined desktop and notebook PC for the first time. A total of 2.8 million tablets were shipped in Q1, outpacing the 2.3 million PC units (which include Macs alongside Windows desktops and laptops) by a half-million units -- a rise of 188 percent year-over-year. While the report is limited to the UK, the results likely foreshadow future trends elsewhere....

Briefly: Amazon gains exclusive NBC shows, Pinterest adds sharing

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:45:00 GMT

Amazon has signed a deal with NBCUniversal to add the previous seasons of five shows exclusively to its Prime Instant Video Roster. Grimm, Suits, Covert Affairs, Hannibal, and Defiance will be available on the streaming service over the course of this year and 2014. A number of other shows, including Smash, Alphas, and Warehouse 13, will also appear on the service, though under a non-exclusive distribution deal....

Opinion: Is the HTC One the ultimate iPhone switcher?

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:14:00 GMT

The HTC One may be the ultimate iPhone switch-inducing Android device yet, even if the Samsung Galaxy S4 juggernaut remains unstoppable for the time being. There are a few of key aspects of the HTC's Android flagship device for 2013 that makes it the most likely to interest Apple iPhone 4, 4S and 5 users itching for a change of scenery, but who can't wait as long as September when Jony Ive's design-influenced version of iOS could be released. Many iPhone users also love the beautiful industrial designs that Jony Ive has cooked up for the iPhone over the past few years. For many, however, even...

Yahoo, Tumblr reportedly in talks for strategic alliance, aquisition

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:12:00 GMT

Yahoo is in discussions to acquire or work with blogging service Tumblr, according to reports. The talks between the two companies are, depending on the report, concerning a possible strategic alliance between the two or an outright purchase of Tumblr, with the search engine said to be offering as much as $1 billion....

FTC starts sending COPPA letters to app developers

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:51:00 GMT

The US Federal Trade Commission has started sending out two letters to app developers, preparing them for changes to the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act taking effect July 1st, according to an announcement. The letters warn developers that restrictions on the collection of personal data from kids under 13 have been expanded, and now cover things like audio or video bearing a child's likeness. Previously, rules only covered the gathering of names, addresses, and phone numbers....

Apple, CW sign deal to put content on Apple TV

Fri, 17 May 2013 02:13:00 GMT

A CW app should soon appear on the Apple TV, Deadline reports. CW CEO Mark Pedowitz announced a deal with Apple during the network's annual upfront presentation in New York. A version of CW TV Now is already available for two Apple platforms -- the iPhone and the iPad -- but Apple TV support should put the app in a more viewing-friendly spot, as with the Xbox 360 and Windows 8 apps....

Archos boosts Elements line with Archos 80 xenon 3G tablet

Fri, 17 May 2013 01:45:00 GMT

Android device developer linktextArchos has revealed the latest addition to the Elements range of tablets, the ARCHOS 80 xenon, a specially designed 8î tablet with built-in 3G and WiFi. This Googleô certified tablet features a powerful Qualcomm Quad-core CPU at 1.2 GHz, Androidô, 4.1 "Jelly Bean" on a clear IPS multi-touch screen....

Mexican Superior Court tosses $2.75 billion damages award versus Yahoo

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:43:00 GMT

The Superior Court of Mexico has overturned a lower court ruling that found Yahoo liable for $2.75 billion in damages. Plaintiffs Ideas Interactivas and holding company Worldwide Directories sued Yahoo over breach of contract and lost profits on a yellow pages service....

Foxconn continuing to break Chinese labor laws, FLA finds

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:30:00 GMT

Apple's biggest supplier, Hon Hai -- better known as Foxconn -- is continuing to break Chinese labor laws, according to a newly-published audit by the Fair Labor Association. The latest evaluation was conducted in January, and did find that Foxconn is complying with 98.3 percent of the 360 points of action the FLA and Apple initially agreed to. 70 out of 76 items that were pending in mid-2012 have been complied with....

Sharp commences production of new HiDPI IGZO LCD panels

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:32:00 GMT

According to Sharp, the company will begin production of three types of IGZO LCD panels that boast pixel densities among the highest in the industry. The panels, scheduled to begin production in June 2013 are intended for use in notebook PCs and will come in three sizes: 11.6 inches, 14 inches, and 15.6 inches. A 13.3 inch panel is already being produced by the company....

Dell's final earnings report falls short of Wall Street estimates

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:32:00 GMT

Dell today announced fiscal 2014 first quarter results, with revenue of $14.1 billion, as the company grew revenue from Enterprise Solutions, Services and Software 12 percent year over year to $5.5 billion, or 8 percent growth, excluding the recent acquisition of Quest Software. The company earned $0.21 per share, not quite meeting Wall Street estimates....

Cook speaks ahead of upcoming US Senate testimony

Thu, 16 May 2013 22:10:00 GMT

Ahead of the Apple CEO's US Senate testimony, Tim Cook has replied to questions about politics and Apple's offshore tax practices in a new Politico interview. "We don't have a large presence in Washington, as you probably know, but we care deeply about public policy and believe creative policy can be a huge catalyst for a better society and a stronger economy," he says....

Pebble gains $15M funding, updates SDK with two-way communication

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:48:00 GMT

Pebble, the smartwatch that started life on Kickstarter, has received an extra $15 million in funding. The additional funding from investors, on top of the $10.2 million received through its Kickstarter campaign, comes at the same time as the company updates its SDK to include two-way communication for third-party Pebble apps....

Apple updates iTunes to 11.0.3, improves Songs view, MiniPlayer

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:30:00 GMT

On Thursday, Apple updated its flagship program iTunes to version 11.0.3, which brings some new features as well as addresses a number of minor bugs and improves security and performance for those running and sorting large collections. The main new features include a redesigned MiniPlayer that now features artwork and a progress bar, and some changes to the Songs view that also adds album artwork. Importantly, multi-disc albums are now seen and counted as one album rather than individual discs....

Colored SIM trays may hint at multi-color iPhone 5S

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:00:00 GMT

A long-standing rumor that the next iPhone -- presumably called the 5S -- will be available in colors beyond just black and white received a boost with the publication of photos featuring differently-colored SIM trays, along with high-rez pictures of various other small parts said to be from the forthcoming iPhone model, expected to be released sometime this summer. Though the SIM tray images would be easy to fake, Apple has been making the iPod touch and iPod nano in a set of colors and may have decided to follow suit with the iPhone 5S -- and perhaps a future iPad....

Briefly: Google+ Hangouts SMS integration, Google+ Games closing

Thu, 16 May 2013 17:55:00 GMT

The new Google+ Hangouts app will soon have SMS integration, though this is likely to be only within Android. The Next Web notes that the permissions list for the app includes listings for reading and sending SMS messages from within the app, something which would bring Hangouts in line with Apple's iMessage app. A message by Google employee Dori Storibeck confirmed that SMS integration is on the way, along with outbound calls and Google Voice features....

Lenovo IdeaPad Yoga 11S ultrabook orders commence in US

Thu, 16 May 2013 16:53:00 GMT

Lenovo has started shipping the IdeaPad Yoga 11S in the United States. The convertible ultrabook is a smaller version of the IdeaPad Yoga 13, opting for an 11.6-inch, 1366x768 touchscreen display instead of the 13-inch version of its larger stablemate, and provides full Windows 8 instead of the Windows RT installed on the Yoga 11....

Apple App Store tops 50 billion downloads [U]

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:37:00 GMT

[Updated with the winner's name, the winning app and other details] The App Store has officially surpassed 50 billion downloads, Apple has announced. The company has now announced the winner of the associated contest. Brandon Ashmore of Mentor Ohio, who downloaded the 50 billionth app, will get a $10,000 App Store gift card; meanwhile, 50 runner-ups will each get a $500 card....

Apple App Store tops 50 billion downloads

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:37:00 GMT

Windows Phone shipments beat BlackBerry, lags behind iOS, Android

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:31:00 GMT

Shipments of Windows Phone devices have overtaken those of BlackBerry phones for the first time, according to a report. Numbers from IDC places the Microsoft mobile operating system in third place, still a considerable away behind iOS and Android shipments, which are said to make up 92.3-percent of all shipments when combined....

Asus Fonepad accompanied by upgraded version in Taiwan

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:29:00 GMT

Asus is making a number of changes to its Fonepad, increasing a number of core specifications for customers in Taiwan. The 7-inch phone-tablet, seen by Electronista earlier this year at Mobile World Congress, will receive a processor upgrade from the current 1.2GHz Intel Atom Z2420 to the faster 1.6GHz Z2460, also from Intel....

No plans for ëNexus Edition' of HTC One

Thu, 16 May 2013 13:16:00 GMT

HTC has said that it isn't planning to issue a version of the HTC One running stock Android. The company issued a statement on the matter following the surprise, but long awaited, announcement at Google I/O that it will be selling a version of the Samsung Galaxy S4 running stock Android. ìHTC is not currently planning a ëNexus Edition' of the HTC One,î said an HTC company spokesperson....

Samsung tapped by Microsoft to supply 7.9-inch displays for Surface

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:33:00 GMT

Samsung has reportedly been tapped by Microsoft to supply 7.9-inch panels for a smaller version of its Surface, according to Digitimes. The purported smaller tablet could be released as soon as the end of June, however, no Taiwanese suppliers have yet been included on the supplier list. Microsoft has not revealed its plans for future versions of its Surface tablet, but it recently changed the specifications of Windows 8 to accommodate displays that could be used on smaller tablets....

AT&T to offer up to $200 for used iPhone 4S in trade-in promo

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:31:00 GMT

Hot on the heels of iPhone 5 promotions from T-Mobile and Verizon, AT&T appears to have thrown its hat into the ring with reports that existing, upgrade-eligible customers are being targeted in a new email. The email offers special trade-in pricing for used iPhone 4S models, promising up to $200 in credit towards the cost of an iPhone 5 -- effectively cancelling out the up-front cost of moving up. Appleinsider reports that the email may be only a regional promotion instead of national....

Samsung to optimize Galaxy S4 software to improve available storage

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:08:00 GMT

Samsung is working on reducing the amount of internal storage in the Galaxy S4 that is taken up by the operating system. After a number of customer complaints and an investigation from the BBC consumer affairs show Watchdog, the company will try to shrink the room its TouchWiz implementation and other items it has added to the base Android installation....

A-JAYS Five earphones come in iOS, Android and Windows versions

Thu, 16 May 2013 11:57:00 GMT

Swedish audio maker JAYS has released the latest version of its popular a-JAYS Five series earphones. Unlike the previous model that came in one edition, the new lineup comes in three discrete models, each individually tailored to iOS, Android and Windows Phone devices. Each of the three models features its own three-button remote that supports all the remote functionality of each type of smartphone running each OS....

Microsoft Surface Pro heading to UK May 23, Europe May 30

Thu, 16 May 2013 10:54:00 GMT

The Microsoft Surface Pro will start shipping in a number of other countries later this month, as part of the company's plans to expand its retail availability further than the US, Canada, and China. The United Kingdom will see the device appearing on store shelves on May 23, while a number of markets in Europe looking to get the slate computer on May 30....