posts on CNET - Page 265

BlackBerry PlayBook: Who will buy it?

After spending some quality time with RIM's in-production BlackBerry PlayBook at CES, I can tell you it's a beautiful 7-inch tablet. A sharp, high-resolution screen, pleasing rubberized perimeter, and gesture-based interface converge to create a piece of electronic equipment that I would proudly make my mini-computing companion. (Hands-on CNET videos here and here.)

However, the PlayBook comes with several thick strings attached that are awkward enough to trip up prospective tablet-buyers.

No 3G without a BlackBerry The tautest tripwire pertains to data. Many top-tier tablets come in Wi-Fi and data (3G) versions. For a little less, you can … Read more

Will Sprint's next 'first' be a tablet?

As you may have heard, Sprint is hosting an event in New York City on February 7 to unveil "yet another industry first." Coming on the heels of a quiet CES 2011 for the carrier--it unveiled just the HTC Evo Shift 4G--we're eagerly for some Sprint news before CTIA in late March. So what could Sprint have up its sleeve? And better yet, why the heck is illusionist David Blaine slated to appear?

Judging from the theories I've seen on various mobile and tech sites, it could be anything from a WiMAX/4G iPhone to a … Read more

Motocross racing and news the old-fashioned way: iPhone apps of the week

Just after the big news of the iPhone coming to Verizon, Apple released a beta to developers for iOS 4.3 and it looks like it will add some big changes from previous versions--especially on the iPad.

New multitouch gestures will make it possible to close apps or just switch to another open app without having to press the Home button. You'll also now have the option to make the iPad switch on the side of the device either a mute or lock rotation switch--apparently, many iPad users complained of the previous version change to turn it into a mute button like the iPhone.

If you want to see some of the new enhancements in action, check out our First Look at iOS 4.3 video with Brian Tong.

This week's apps include a newsreader that lets you view actual newspapers and a motocross game that's both fun and extremely challenging.… Read more

Apple gifting $10,000 for its 10 billionth App Store download

Less than 3 years after its celebrated opening, despite pointed punditry and challenging growing pains, Apple's App Store is about to claim 10 billion App downloads. To celebrate, as they did when iTunes reached 10 billion downloads, Apple is giving away a $10,000 iTunes gift card to the person that purchases the 10 billionth download.

"As of today, nearly 10 billion apps have been downloaded from the App Store worldwide. Which is almost as amazing as the apps themselves. So we want to say thanks. Download the 10 billionth app, and you could win a $10,000 … Read more

Want a new flash memory card format?

Those who lived through the days of xD card vs. Memory Stick vs. CompactFlash vs. Secure Digital may think people need a new flash memory card format like we need a hole in our heads. Who, after all, has a burning desire to upgrade the 9-in-1 flash card reader to a 10-in-1 model?

An established industry standards group, JEDEC, has a new format it hopes will catch on, though.

The group already took over standardization of the MultiMediaCard specification that's chiefly relevant today hidden away inaccessibly in its embedded form, EMMC, that's used under the covers of various … Read more

Apple releases iOS 4.3 beta

Apple has released to developers a beta of iOS 4.3, the newest operating system update for iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad. iOS 4.3 will include several feature upgrades including the addition of personal Wi-Fi hot spots, new multitouch gestures for iPad, and customizable messaging alerts.

Also included in the first beta of iOS 4.3 is the return of orientation locking by using the hardware switch on the side of your iPad. Users will be able to toggle the usage of that switch from its current function, muting, to the new orientation lock.

The App Store app has … Read more

Out with the old--Jasmine's Tech Dos & Don'ts

With the new year upon us, there are no doubt plenty of plans in place for changes both big and small. For precisely this reason, January's Tech Dos & Don'ts column will be focused on helping you through the necessary transitions--at least as far as technology is concerned. First up: out with the old, in with the new.

Certainly, both the holidays and the Consumer Electronics Show have inspired a lot of dough-dropping in the gadget space. Many of you probably have a new device or two lying around, which raises the question: what to do with the … Read more

Android Atlas Weekly 31: Hostages, surges, and an ice cream sandwich (podcast)

Samsung may be holding a digital hostage; Android gains ground on Apple, but may soon lose it to the Verizon iPhone; and the announcement of the next iteration of Android raises questions about version numbers. Join Antuan Goodwin and Justin Eckhouse for all that and more in the world of Android.

Android outshines Apple iOS on mobile ad network http://reviews.cnet.com/8300-19736_7-251.html

Android Market saw greatest surge in 2010 http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-20028122-94.html

Analysts: … Read more

Digital City: CES 2011 special edition

In case you missed our special live Digital City show from the CNET stage at CES 2011, now you can catch it here. Dan is joined by G4TV's "Attack of the Show" co-host Kevin Pereira , plus CNET's Jeff Bakalar and Rich Brown, for a discussion ranging from post-apocalyptic cell phone reception to high-tech digital name tags.

Bonus: You can download the show's theme song as a free MP3 here for a limited time!

RIM releases WebWorks SDK beta

BALI--Research In Motion is looking to harness the best of today's Web technologies including HTML5 and JavaScript, to bridge the gap between development efforts for its BlackBerry smartphones and the soon-to-be-released PlayBook tablet.

Tyler Lessard, vice president of global alliances and developer relations at RIM, said the Canadian smartphone manufacturer is intent on bringing the "Web to mobile" by incorporating existing Web technologies into its WebWorks SDK for Tablet OS.

Released today, the beta version of the software development kit will give Web and mobile developers skilled in HTML5, JavaScript, and CSS the tools to create apps … Read more