Latest Tech & Consumer Electronics News

Benchmarking Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 800

SAN FRANCISCO–Qualcomm showed off sample tablets and smartphones with its new Snapdragon 800 processor to a select group of journalists today, letting us see how it outpaces existing phones and matches...
Google Asks FISA Court to Allow Publication of Data Requests

Google this week filed a petition with the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court, requesting that it be allowed to reveal how many requests for information it receives from the secretive court. The...
AG Slams Google for Links to Pharmacies, Pirated Content

Mississippi’s attorney general announced today that he will subpoena Google for records about its activity surrounding rogue, online pharmacies, as well as pirated content. “Google is aiding and abetting criminal activity...
Paper App Team FiftyThree Snags $15M in Funding

FiftyThree — the group behind the 2012 iPad App of the Year — just got a $15 million dollar boost to its popular design application, Paper. The New York-based company today...
Google Adds ‘Carousel’ to Search Results

A Google search for local restaurants, bars, and hotels will now send you on a carousel ride of sorts through the results. Desktop users will soon see an interactive “carousel,” as...
Nuance’s Dragon Update Brings Voice Recognition to PC, Car

Nuance Communications today gave its Dragon software a boost on the PC and Android. With Dragon NaturallySpeaking 12, typing is a thing of the past, as the software now supports voice...
It’s Time for a New Yahoo!

Lately there have been a number of hand-wringing articles about Yahoo’s purchase of Tumblr. All the writers predict what is going to happen to the company and all seem to rag...
Microsoft Offers Steep Education Discount on Surface RT

School may be out for the summer, but learning never takes a break, and neither do educational promotions. Microsoft is reducing the price of its ARM-based Surface RT tablet for schools...
BlackBerry Q10 Headed to AT&T June 21 for $200

If you’re an AT&T customer looking to get your hands on the BlackBerry Q10, then you just have a few more days to wait. The physical keyboard-equipped Q10 will be available...
Huawei Unveils Super-Slim Ascend P6 Smartphone

Huawei on Tuesday unveiled its new super-slim Ascend P6 smartphone, though it is currently only scheduled to be released in China and Western Europe. Huawei said the 4.7-inch P6 is the...
T-Mobile Lands Exclusive for Sony Xperia Z

T-Mobile announced Tuesday that it will be the exclusive carrier for Sony’s Xperia Z smartphone. The carrier expects to start offering the Xperia Z “in the coming weeks” in black or...
NSA: We Can’t Flip Switch to Read Your Emails, Listen to Calls

Officials from the National Security Agency and FBI today defended U.S. surveillance programs, arguing that recent leaks present only part of the story and could jeopardize the safety of Americans. NSA...
Fastest Mobile Network 2013 Winners? AT&T and You

After months of driving around the country to test wireless networks, PCMag has named AT&T the Fastest Mobile Network in the United States. Last year, AT&T put up some solid numbers,...
Oculus Nabs $16M in Funding for Virtual Reality ‘Rift’ Headset

Following a successful $2.4 million Kickstarter campaign, the makers of the Oculus Rift virtual reality gadget just pocketed another $16 million investment from Spark Capital and Matrix Partners. “We were fortunate...
Amazon Launches Group Gift Cards for Facebook

You know how you always get a bunch of well wishes on Facebook when it’s your birthday? What if instead of just writing “happy birthday” on your timeline, each one of...
Snowden Defends Leaks; Instagram Video Rumor; Chromebooks to Hit Walmart

Topping tech headlines on Monday, NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden conducted a question-and-answer session on The Guardian’s website, in which he stood by earlier statements regarding the secretive government agency and suggested...
Tesla to Demo New Battery-Swapping Tech

A few months ago, Tesla founder Elon Musk became embroiled in a disagreement with a New York Times reviewer over the battery life of the company’s new Model S electric car....
Sprint Rolls Out 4G LTE in 22 More Cities

Just in time for summer, Sprint is expanding its 4G LTE network to an additional 22 cities. Users in “hotspots” like Miami, New Orleans, Raleigh, and Tampa can now download videos,...
Yahoo Jumps on Disclosure Bandwagon, Pledges More Transparency

Yahoo this week joined Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook in revealing the number of user data requests it has received from law enforcement agencies. The Internet firm received between 12,000 and 13,000...
MB Labs Reimagines the Synthesizer for Red Bull Creation Crown

What could you build with only 72 hours, a pile of scraps, and a tent full of machinery? Six teams of innovators found out last week, when tasked with building a...