I have never broken a phone. I don't know what it would take to break a phone. Apparently six, or nine, or 50, or however many people...have discovered a point beyond that threshold. I can imagine two most likely scenarios here: a) The users got excited and accidentally abused their new phones beyond what they had ever done before, and broke them. b) they were always playing with fire and subjecting their iPhone 5's to pressures in the range that are now lethal to 6's. If it's A, shame on the users. If it's B, Apple has raised the expectations of their customers and then failed to meet those expectations. As for "1/10th of 55 lbs," remember these particular tests are controlled and not subjecting the phones to all manner of different pressures at different points that may exist in a pocket or purse or other storage medium.

The battery usually extends through the mid-line of the phone as well. Test it where the top of the battery is, that's going to be much nearer to the weakest point.

Read it again. People are accustomed to treating their iPhones in a certain way (storage-wise), but the 6 bends at nearly HALF the pressure of the 5. That's the crux of the problem. The 6 is a step backwards in strength. The larger size in part of it, since there's more leverage potential, but LG and Samsung seem to have solved that problem. No, it's not made of cheese, as some users seem to have reported, but it will bend under circumstances that the 5 would not.

Bingo. Innovation X is banned for everybody but Hollywood. Didn't see that coming! /s

Blackberry always made the superior hardware. Even in the software, there are functions that Blackberry has had for a decade that iOS and Android still can't duplicate. That said, they walled their garden off far too completely. If they would just make the switch to Android, even a highly modified version like Amazon, I would strongly consider going back.

I have been amenable to a national sales tax in the past, but the more i think it through, the more it becomes undesirable. 1) Sales tax is regressive. Sure, you can rebate up to a certain point, or not tax essentials, but there is no way to solve the fact that at some income, you will be paying a higher percentage than those above you on the scale. 2) Black-markets already exist for many highly-taxed items. In order to replace an income tax, the sales tax would have to be north of 12%, which would just add that much more to an existing problem. 3) It's still ripe for corruption. Politically correct items get tax breaks (green consumer items, etc), while other items have higher taxes. It's just trading one problem for another. 4) You would have to get almost every state on board. Most states have an income tax that just rides along with the federal return. Unless every state moves to sales-tax-only, there would be little difference for most Americans. They would still have to file, and would still be subjected to state revenue departments. Getting every level of government on use-based taxes would push those rates unbearably high, and getting the same return would result in as many losers as winners in the equation. 5) Finally, it wouldn't make any difference. There would be just as much red tape (federal employees) to collect the taxes. There would be just as much deficit spending. There would be just as much politicizing of taxes.

App ratings are still linked to G+. I'd like to contribute to the community by pointing out pros and cons in some apps, but it's just not worth the hassle.

"out of style 5 minutes after you buy it!" You misspelled "before."

30% of smartphone users are picking their jaw up off the floor, having seen the future! 70% are wondering what the big deal is, seeing features they've been using for two years.

The only way they can definitively state that no data was stolen is if there is better auditing capability at Healthcare.gov than there seems to be at the NSA (who apparently can't audit what was "stolen"). This seems sad to me on SO MANY levels.

Perhaps he used the wrong terminology, but I think the idea is to set a timer, say 30 minutes. Every time it receives a call, the timer resets. The bomber can make a call at strategic times to prolong the trigger as long as necessary, but as soon as it's cut off of the cell network, it's an irreversible time bomb.

"It's not like that phenomenon is unique to the handheld gaming market." It's not like that phenomenon is unique to gaming. Full Stop. Any time there is a successful TV show, it gets copied. Movies? copied. Books? copied. Nor is it unique to cultural works. The shelves of any big-box store are filled with cheap Chinese knockoffs of any physical product you can imagine. Compete on quality, customer service, and fan engagement. Those are much harder to rip off.

1) Well I pay twice that already, do I get TWO free internets?! 2) More seriously, paying additional for the privilege of not viewing ads was one of the founding principles behind cable TV. It didn't take long before you were paying extra AND viewing ads.

"[S]ome men aren't looking for anything logical...They can't be bought, bullied, reasoned, or negotiated with. Some men just want to watch the world burn."

The White House supports this version? Then why did they send the goon squad to gut the already weaker House version? https://www.techdirt.com/artic... If this bill makes it to the President in tact, it'll be a miracle.