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One way to tackle captive network connection errors in OS X

When you connect your Mac to a network, if you receive a proper configuration such as an IP address and DNS servers from your router then you should be able to use Mail, Safari, and other networking client programs to access various services either on the local network or through the Internet. However, sometimes it can happen that despite a seemingly healthy connection you aren't able to access Web pages and e-mail.

Recently MacFixIt reader Tom ran into such a situation with a university network:

We have a MacBook Pro mid-2012 release running 10.8.2. The computer is … Read more

AT&T announces slew of other devices getting ICS update

Looks like the HTC Vivid isn't the only AT&T phone getting the Ice Cream Sandwich treatment.

The carrier announced today a number of other devices that will be eligible for the Android 4.0 update in the next few months.

These handsets include: the LG Nitro, Motorola Atrix 2, Motorola Atrix 4G, Pantech Burst, Pantech Element, Samsung Captivate Glide, Samsung Galaxy Note, Samsung Galaxy S II, Samsung Galaxy S II Skyrocket, and Samsung Galaxy Tab 8.9.

Again, it will be a couple of months until the update rolls out, but we're excited. As hot as … Read more

Urinal games give whizzes a new aim

Isn't it a bummer when urinal time interferes with game time? It can really interrupt the gaming flow, am I right, guys?

Fortunately, U.K.-based Captive Media has combined pee time and play time with urinal games controlled by, you guessed it, your own very personal game-whiz skills.

The system--patented in the U.K., with patents pending overseas--consists of a 12-inch high-definition LCD screen installed at eye level above the urinal.

When not in active use, the system plays a mixture of ads and content from one of six "PTV" channels. When a user approaches, the monitor flips from ad mode to gaming mode, using sensors to detect not only the urinator's presence, but the direction of his stream.

Just move left or right to demonstrate your gaming (and aiming) prowess in titles like On the Piste, in which you speed through the (presumably yellow) snowy mountains on a supercharged snowmobile, and Clever Dick, a wicked pisser of a trivia game. As the Telegraph rightly points out, "Never has Nintendo Wii sounded more apt." … Read more

Samsung Captivate Glide thumbs-on review: Keyboard bummer

AT&T's Samsung Captivate Glide is one of the carrier's two new Android-toting slider phones (the other is the Samsung DoubleTime.)

The Captivate Glide looks and feels like a member of the Samsung Galaxy S II pack, albeit a lesser model, with slightly more modest specs. There are still 4G speeds to be had with the HSPA+ network, and a dual core processor running the show with Android Gingerbread. However, there are also a couple of design flaws I had a hard time looking past, like the weak link of the keyboard, a bad Achilles heel to … Read more

Thumbs on with the Samsung Captivate Glide

It's been a while since AT&T has had a higher-end, QWERTY smartphone in its lineup, but keyboard-loving customers should start warming up their thumbs for the upcoming Samsung Captivate Glide.

Announced at CTIA 2011, the Captivate Glide sports a slider design that combines a 4-inch Super AMOLED touch screen with a four-row QWERTY keyboard. The Android Gingerbread device also rocks Nvidia's 1GHz dual-core processor, an 8-megapixel camera with 1080p HD video support, a front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera, and enterprise-friendly features.

Though the carrier has yet to announce a release date and pricing, we suspect that its … Read more

Report: Select AT&T phones to allow third-party app stores

As we learned in early May, the Samsung Infuse 4G will be the first AT&T smartphone to allow for applications outside of the Android Market, and it looks like more are on the way.

Citing a desire to open up a bit, AT&T indicated it would be embracing third-party app stores and the side-loading of apps and games. At the time of the announcement, I was hopeful that the carrier would adopt this policy going forward with all of its Android phones. It appears my suspicions are correct, as AT&T plans to enable this … Read more

Samsung Captivate to get Froyo update on Thursday

Slowly but surely, the Samsung Galaxy S series phones are getting updated to Android 2.2 Froyo. First it was the Samsung Vibrant, then the Samsung Epic 4G, and now the Samsung Captivate.

AT&T said on its Facebook page that the update will be available starting tomorrow. A link to Samsung's Web site will be provided where you can find the update and instructions on how to install it.

The carrier also revealed that the HTC Aria will get Froyo as well, but did not provide a specific time frame for that update.

Poll: 61 percent of CNET readers want bigger iPhone screen

Maybe bigger is better.

Just a few days ago I wrote an article entitled, "Should the iPhone 5 get a larger screen?" As part of the piece, I included a poll asking readers to cast a vote for their preference. Of the nearly 5,000 respondents, the results (as of the time of this writing) were as follows:

61 percent thought Apple should make the screen larger 30 percent thought the iPhone's screen was just right 2 percent would like to see it get smaller 8 percent didn't care

Compare that with a very similar poll … Read more

Should the iPhone 5 get a larger screen?

Last year, with all the new Android smartphones with 4-inch and larger screens hitting the market, I posted an article asking readers whether they thought the iPhone's screen was too small. In a poll, close to 50 percent of the respondents said, yes, they'd like to see Apple make the next iPhone's screen larger.

Now I'm getting some grief from readers after leaving out "larger screen" when I recently updated my piece on the the 20 feature upgrades I'd like to see in the iPhone 5, so I thought I'd better take … Read more