46808799
submission
zacharye writes
"AT&T said earlier this week that it will add a new administrative fee to each of its wireless subscribers’ monthly bills. The fee is only $0.61, which doesn’t sound like much, and AT&T’s public relations firm was quick to point out that this new fee is lower than similar fees charged by rival carriers. Subscribers were still outraged. Now that the shouting has died down a bit, however, people are looking for a batter explanation for the new charge they’ll see each month. According to one industry watcher, that explanation couldn’t be simpler: “Because they can.”..."Link to Original Source
46777877
submission
zacharye writes
"Google Glass is a big deal. It marks the beginning of the next paradigm in consumer electronics, where intelligent wearable gadgets will take the place of common accessories rather than compliment them. Some have argued that Glass itself likely won’t proliferate because it is so unnatural, but it will instead evolve over time and serve as a catalyst for wearable devices from Google and others that might appeal to a wider audience. Not everyone agrees, however, and Google’s Developer Advocate Tim Bray recently shared his thoughts on Google Glass publicly for the first time..."Link to Original Source
46560875
submission
zacharye writes
"Apple’s next-generation iPhone 5S is widely expected to feature the same external design as its predecessor, just as previous “S” upgrades have in the past. But looks can be deceiving. While Apple’s flagship iPhone for 2013 may appear to be the same as the iPhone 5 on the outside, the phone will feature a significant internal redesign when it launches this fall. BGR has exclusively obtained high-resolution photos of a number of components that will be included in Apple’s iPhone 5S, and they help paint a picture of things to come later this year..."Link to Original Source
46528427
submission
zacharye writes
"Google Glass is expected to be a pretty big focus at Google I/O this year, but it’s still unclear how the public at large will receive Google’s connected eyewear when it launches next year. In an effort to assess its odds in the U.S. market, BiTE Interactive commissioned YouGov to conduct a study on the matter. According to a poll of 1,000 American smartphone owners aged 18 and above, “only” one in 10 respondents said they would be willing to wear Google Glass regularly, regardless of the device’s price. The study also found that 45% of those polled said they believe Google Glass is “too socially awkward” or “too irritating” to wear, and 44% said they simply don’t find any of Glass’ known features to be desirable. But the numbers tell a different story..."Link to Original Source
46465649
submission
zacharye writes
"The HTC First, or “Facebook phone” as many prefer to call it, is officially a flop. It certainly wasn’t a good sign when AT&T dropped the price of HTC’s First to $0.99 just one month after its debut, and now BGR has confirmed that HTC and Facebook’s little experiment is nearing its end. BGR has learned from a trusted source that sales of the HTC First have been shockingly bad. So bad, in fact, that AT&T has already decided to discontinue the phone..."Link to Original Source
46380849
submission
zacharye writes
"In the video game industry as in many popular video games themselves, a fierce rivalry has taken center stage. Sony took a commanding early lead and its PlayStation and PlayStation 2 systems are both among best-selling video game consoles of all time at No.4 and No.1, respectively. Then the tide turned and Microsoft’s Xbox 360 edged out the PlayStation 3 in the current generation console wars, having recently posted its 27th consecutive month as the top-selling console in the U.S. But we may soon see this rivalry fade as the missions of Microsoft’s next-generation “Xbox Infinity” and Sony’s PlayStation 4 begin to diverge..."Link to Original Source
46346175
submission
zacharye writes
"Last night I posted a tweet that drew some interesting responses. Beside the text “the back of a $640 phone,” I posted an image of the Galaxy S4s case-back as I contorted the flexible paper-thin cover in my hand. I made no further comment. As I covered briefly for the umpteenth time in an article on Wednesday, the Galaxy S4 feels cheap. It feels flimsy. The fact of the matter is that the phone is neither cheap nor flimsy — at $237, the combined value of its parts is actually 10% higher than the aluminum iPhone 5s build of materials (BOM). But however expensive and durable the materials Samsung used in the Galaxy S4 may be, it still doesn’t feel like a high-end smartphone..."Link to Original Source
46311083
submission
zacharye writes
"The king is dead, long live the king. The Galaxy S4 helped Samsung keep its impossible promise and unlike most products that see the kind of hype this one did ahead of its debut, the S4 actually delivered. This new handset is an improvement over its predecessor in every way and we loved it when we reviewed the Galaxy S4 last month. But after spending some time with Samsung’s new flagship phone, I also see a worrying trend emerging in the Galaxy S4 and it’s one that could potentially get Samsung into trouble down the road..."Link to Original Source
46276545
submission
zacharye writes
"The consumer electronics industry has gotten pretty boring lately. That’s not to say the new products that have debuted recently are boring, but we’re definitely in a period marked by iteration. Each new smartphone closely resembles the smartphone that came before it, each new tablet is a tweak and a spec bump away from its predecessor, and Windows 8 hasn’t reinvented the PC like we had hoped. The timing couldn’t have been better for Google to shake things up with Google Glass, the curious connected eyewear that will launch next year. But is Glass really the next big thing or are we all just so bored that anything seems like a breath of fresh air?"Link to Original Source
46274393
submission
zacharye writes
"A statistical analysis of Google’s track record has found that more than one out of every three services Google launches ends up being shut down. A recent extensive analysis of Google’s launches over the years was published in an effort to find closure patterns and maybe even predict which current and new services might be shuttered in the future. In doing so, the site found that a sizable chunk of Google’s product portfolio — 35% — has been shut down over the years..."Link to Original Source
46161589
submission
zacharye writes
"Google is done with boring old cell phones — the future is all about “phones-plus.” The company’s $12.4 billion Motorola acquisition has yet to bear much fruit, but all that may begin to change as Google starts to phase out Motorola’s solo efforts and launch devices that it had a hand in developing. The first such handset is the highly anticipated “X Phone,” which was pictured for the first time on Thursday evening. Following that initial leak, a second set of photos has been published along with some new purported details about the X Phone, which may debut later this month..."Link to Original Source
46096667
submission
zacharye writes
"HTC was once the top-selling smartphone vendor in the United States. It wasn’t even that long ago. The Taiwan-based vendor reported six consecutive months of record revenue in 2011 before it ran into a brick wall known as the iPhone 4S. Since then, things have been tumbling downhill for HTC, culminating in the company’s worst-ever quarterly performance that saw profits plummet 98% in Q1 2013. Fierce competition from Apple is one reason HTC has seen its profits evaporate over the past year and a half, but another company has likely caused even more trouble for the struggling smartphone vendor: Samsung..."Link to Original Source
46092495
submission
zacharye writes
"Apple’s iOS 7 operating system update is expected to be shown off for the first time during the keynote at WWDC 2013, but a recent report suggested the platform’s launch may be delayed. Apple engineers are reportedly working on a major overhaul of iOS’s user interface, and it is seemingly taking longer than expected to refine and “flatten” the interface. According to multiple reports from reporters with nearly impeccable track records, however, Apple has pulled engineers away from OS X to help work on iOS 7 and the new mobile OS update will launch on time..."Link to Original Source
46047515
submission
zacharye writes
"The concept of wearable tech is really buzzing right now as pundits tout smart eyewear, watches and other connected devices as the future of tech. It makes sense, of course — smartphone growth is slowing and people need something to hold on to — but the early “Explorer” version of Google’s highly anticipated Google Glass headset has major problem that could be a big barrier for widespread adoption: Awful battery life..."Link to Original Source
46009721
submission
zacharye writes
"It’s time for a fresh face in the ISP race. The good news is that Google might just be the fresh face we’re all looking for. But the bad news is that most of us won’t have access to Google Fiber for years to come — if we ever gain access to it. The simple, painful truth is that Google Fiber costs a fortune to deploy and it takes very, very long time to roll out..."Link to Original Source