Gadgets

Just when you thought Apple was going to run away with yet another handheld market, industry powerhouse Samsung has announced its own contender. The iPhone may not be the only super communicator if the "Serenata" has something to sing, er say, about ... it. The Serenata will be a joint venture launched by Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. and audio electronics designers Bang ... (view more)

Last week we reported on the release of a new legal downloading page called "SpiralFrog.com," which boasts free downloading but disallows users from uploading material to an iPod. Since it's not much of a competitor for iTunes (although it will ... surely take a few customers away), Amazon has a more deadly new weapon in its arsenal. Already firmly established as the world's largest online compact disc retailer, it's really not much of a leap for Amazon to take on Apple in this sphere. Although iTunes certainly retains great name recognition when it comes to online music sales, Amazon's recently ... (view more)

At a question-and-answer session in Florida last Saturday, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak criticized his former partner's decision to cut the price of the iPhone. Apple had dropped the price by $200 just two month's after the device's long-awaited ... arrival -- a bad decision, according to Wozniak. (Source: slashdot.org ) "Nobody expects a product to drop that much in price in such a short time," he said. While he admits that technology inevitably drops in price over time, he maintains that this price cut wasn't right. "The first adopters always pay a premium. I am one of them. I am used to that ... (view more)

The smallest piece of artwork ever made has finally been unveiled to the world. It's an image of the sun made from 20,000 microscopic particles of gold, and what is most unique about the creation is that it was done without the presence of an ... artist. (Source: usatoday.com ) IBM researchers are taking credit for the piece that used ultra-miniature sensors, lenses and wires inside of nanoscale circuits. The image of the sun was etched on a silicon chip "wafer" using a special technique that manipulated each gold particle which measured just 60 nanometers in diameter. In proportion, a nanometer ... (view more)

As rumors of a Microsoft-crafted competitor for the iPhone begin to swell, the company is making one of its other hardware experiments a little more attractive. How, you ask? By dropping the price, of course. When it launched during the late fall of ... 2006, the Zune music player was lauded by some critics for its revolutionary WiFi support. Such a feature gave it the power to transfer songs from one party to the next (albeit for a limited time), something very new for the digital media market. Unfortunately, the Zune came up short on its sheer appeal, with consumers less interested in brown, ... (view more)

With wireless technology becoming increasingly faster, one can't help but to imagine what the future has in store. For one professor at Georgia Tech, the future is just too far away. As Joy Laskar stands before his students, he swipes his hand over ... a handmade receiver and waves to a nearby television screen. He smiles and tells his students that he has just moved a full-length movie from a portable media player right onto a television set. (Source: usatoday.com ) While the entire concept seems ridiculously magical, Laskar argues that researchers have been temporarily derailed by beliefs that ... (view more)

Apple has finally given up on their deal with NBC Universal after several disputes over the price of their television shows. Apple officially announced that they would no longer be offering any NBC programs for the fall season through their iTunes ... downloading service. NBC has fired back at their former partnering company, claiming that Apple was solely responsible for the downfall of the agreement. According to NBC affiliates, they had given Apple sufficient notice that their programs were not to be sold via iTunes after the end of the previous season. (Source: usatoday.com ) The quarrel is ... (view more)

After weeks of rumors regarding an impending iPod announcement, the day has come. Late Tuesday, Apple sent out invitations to a media event on Wednesday, September 5 in San Francisco called "The Beat Goes On." Although the company did not explicitly ... reveal the event's focus, the silhouette of a dancing iPod user left a big hint. "The Beat Goes On" was the final phrase used in The Beatles' last news release in 1970. Rumors have been swirling that Apple will soon reveal the availability of the entire Beatles catalog at the iTunes store. In a report released Wednesday, analyst Gene Munster said ... (view more)

It seems just about every week our lovable Bill Lindner discovers a new "Big Brother" plan in the tech universe. Most of the time, it has something to do with Microsoft or Windows Vista, but in this case the culprit is rather unexpected. Global ... Positioning Systems, or GPS, have been devised to help people, not hurt them. Right? Not according to New York City's abundant taxi driver population. The New York Taxi Workers Alliance (NYTWA), comprising some 10,000 cabbies, alleges that GPS allows management to spy on drivers. They're threatening to strike unless GPS technology is removed forever ... (view more)

Can't afford one of those flashy new iPhones in the window? Try a refurbished version of the device, now being offered by Apple Inc. itself for $100 less than retail. The service has been available since last Monday, when Apple began displaying the ... popular iPhone (4GB edition) for just $399. Those customers interested in a bit more space can also save $100, with the 8GB version knocked down to $499. It's not a new business practice for Apple, which typically sells its wares second-hand for discounted prices. Most, such as the iPod, Apple TV, and its computer hardware come with a one-year ... (view more)