Mobile Tech

EXPERT ADVICE

Android: A Second Career in Security?

Sometimes it's a mistake to assume something -- or someone -- has outlived its usefulness just because it's already done one thing successfully. For example, many of us have a wealth of decommissioned corporate-provisioned mobile devices: We've bought them, handed them out, and seen them used succes...

Samsung is researching a system that would allow consumers to use thought control on a tablet computer, according to published reports. Together with Roozbeh Jafari, an assistant professor at the University of Texas at Dallas, the company is testing how sensors and brainwaves could let users turn on...

Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt defended the company's tax practices in the United Kingdom, where Google and a handful of other U.S. tech companies have been chastised for not paying enough taxes. Google paid just over $9 million in UK taxes in 2011, despite hundreds of millions in turnover.

Yahoo last week unfurled two new apps that should help strengthen its mobile bona fides: the Yahoo Weather App for iPhone, iPod and iPod touch; and Yahoo Mail Apps for iPad and Android tablets. The new releases are in keeping with CEO Marissa Mayer's intention to pare Yahoo's extensive mobile portfo...

With smartphones and an increasing number of tablets becoming GPS-capable, it is easy to write off dedicated GPS players. So many seem stuck in the past -- days when devices needed a wired connection for updates and didn't seem to be aware of Web services they might be ideal for, like Yelp. With a r...

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign have developed a super-dense battery that measures only a few millimeters, but can both store and release a lot of power, resolving a problem that has long plagued consumers and electronics manufacturers. Capacitors can release power very...

Disaster communications tech has become a hot topic, spurred in part by last fall's Hurricane Sandy, where major swaths of New York City were rendered without some business-level communications such as those provided by cell networks. Images of civilians roaming ravaged streets looking for a socket ...

Before knocking boots, knock phones. Three software engineers at the University of Iceland have designed an app to alert people if a casual encounter might in fact be casual incest. By bumping their mobile devices together, the app lets users -- and potential partners -- instantly compare their li...

Kobo on Monday introduced the Aura HD, an e-reader that sports some high-end touches such as a one-month-plus battery life. Other features that set the Aura HD device apart from other e-readers in the market include a high- resolution E Ink display and a 6.8-inch screen designed to look and feel mor...

Taiwan authorities have launched a probe into charges that Samsung hired students to post disparaging comments about HTC online. If the false advertising accusations are upheld, Samsung and its local advertising agent could be on the hook for about $835,000. The complaints sprouted earlier this mont...

WHICH APPS DO I NEED?

All Things Appy: Top 5 Chrome Finance Apps

It's mid-April, and spring is in the air -- that time of year when a young man's or young lady's thoughts turn to money. Conveniently for us all, the Web browser is a fine place to organize finances, whether you want to get the process over with as fast as possible, or enjoy it in king-is-in-the-cou...

Google on Tuesday released the tech specifications for Google Glass, which will sport 720p resolution for the eyeware's video camera and 16 GB of onboard flash storage. The forthcoming availability of the Web-connected glasses, however, is also raising questions about health, safety and privacy. The...

Following Monday's tragic terror attack at the Boston Marathon, it was reported that cellular phone service was intentionally shut off to prevent any possible remote activation of other explosive devices via mobile phones. As details emerged, it became clear that no shutdown was actually ordered. Al...

There's a smartwatch-athon in the making. Apple is working on one, according to rumors that seemed to gel earlier this year. Samsung has taken the lid off its plans, though no specifics have been announced, and LG is rumored to be building one too. Kickstarter phenom Pebble began shipping its smartw...

TECH TREK

Google, EU Reach Meeting of the Minds

In an effort to appease European regulators, Google for the first time has agreed to make legally binding changes to its search results. The changes stem from a two-year investigation into whether Google abused its online search dominance in Europe. The changes will not force Google to amend its alg...

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