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Many of us spend hours playing free video games online, whether it's by downloading them through the Apple iTunes Store, Google Play Store, or some other site / service. But the ability to enhance that gaming experience with "premium" upgrades can ... make "free" games very expensive. The Kitchen family of Bristol, England, recently discovered just how pricy "free" games can be. Mom Sharon was recently stunned to receive an Apple iTunes Store bill for 1,700 pounds, or roughly $2,500. (Source: bbc.co.uk ) Premium Purchases Rack Up Fast Sharon racked her brain for hours trying to figure ... (view more)

Google has unveiled a powerful and pricy touchscreen laptop it calls 'Pixel.' The device, which offers shockingly little storage space but access to a 1 terabyte (TB) online storeroom, is being designed with cloud-connected users in mind. In some ... ways the Google Pixel is very similar to Apple's MacBook Air. For one, it's extremely thin and lightweight. Second, with the WiFi model priced at $1,299 and a LTE-connected edition going for $1,499, the high cost will be familiar to Apple users. "Brightest, Best Screen ... Ever": Google Also familiar: a super-lush display. In fact, Google ... (view more)

Last week former Microsoft executive Joachim Kempin accused chief executive officer Steve Ballmer and chairman Bill Gates of sucking the cool out of Microsoft. That prompted some critics to wonder if Microsoft had ever been cool in the first place. ... However, it's much more shocking when someone accuses industry rival Apple of losing its cool. But that's exactly what Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak suggested in a recent interview. Apple's Cool: "We Kind of Are Losing That," Wozniak Says "We used to have these ads, I'm a Mac and I'm a PC, and the Mac was always the cool guy," Wozniak ... (view more)

Security analysts are warning that a new iOS 6.1 hack could allow someone to bypass the security of an iPhone 5 and covertly spy on a user's private messages and conversations. The majority of Apple iPhone owners currently have some kind of password ... lock screen protecting their device. However, a YouTube video (aptly named "How to Bypass iPhone 5 Passcode on iOS 6.1") provides step-by-step instructions for getting around this security wall. Once a device has been compromised, hackers have complete access to the emails, photos, etc. stored on the phone. When attempting to delve deeper into the ... (view more)

An analyst believes Microsoft may be passing up $2.5 billion a year by refusing to make its Office software package available for Apple's iPad tablet computer. The Redmond, Washington-based firm is trying to use the software to make its own Surface ... tablet devices more desirable -- a strategy critics are calling short-sighted. Part of the thinking at Microsoft seems to be that keeping Office off the iPad gives many customers who like to work on their devices a reason not to buy the Apple tablet. That makes them more likely to stick with Windows laptops or to try out Microsoft's own tablet, the ... (view more)

Twitter has launched a video-sharing service similar to YouTube but designed for people with shorter attention spans. Unfortunately, questions over adult content could spell doom for the service. The service is called 'Vine' and is specifically ... designed for the Apple iPhone. It lets users upload and share a video clip of up to six seconds in length and then publish a link to the clip on Twitter. The idea of a short clip service isn't new: rival application 'Tout' does the same thing but offers users 15 second previews. In both cases, it appears the idea is to minimize the amount of storage ... (view more)

For the first time in almost a year, the price of a share of Apple Inc. has slipped below $500. The reason: the Cupertino, California-based firm recently cut back on its orders for components of its latest iPhone. Apple recently reduced the number ... of liquid crystal display (LCD) screens it wants manufactured for its iPhone 5 smartphone, which launched in September, 2012 . iPhone Suppliers to Cut Production in Half Originally, Apple had requested its suppliers provide approximately 65 million of the iPhone screens. Now, it appears the firm requires only half that many. These manufacturing ... (view more)

New reports suggest that Apple has started testing the next version of its popular iPhone. If these early reports prove accurate, both the iPhone 6 smartphone and Apple iOS 7 mobile operating system could arrive in the U.S. market a lot sooner than ... previously anticipated. Rumors of the new offerings first emerged after application developers identified traces of a new iPhone in their app usage logs. The iPhone 5 would be recognized in such logs with identifiers like "iPhone 5,1" and "iPhone 5.2". iPhone 6, iOS 7 Identifiers Spotted As tech blog The Next Web speculates, "the app requests ... (view more)

Those of you who just received a brand new fourth-generation Apple iPad for Christmas may not like what I'm about to tell you: a new report indicates that Apple will release an even newer, fifth-generation iPad in just a few months. The updated iPad ... is reportedly much lighter and thinner and may ship to retailers as early as March 2013. The report comes from Japanese blog Macotakara, which indicates the next iPad will show a 4mm reduction in height, a 17mm narrower width, and a 2mm loss in depth. Currently, the fourth-generation iPad measures as follows: 241.2mm in height, 185.7mm in width, 9 ... (view more)

A prominent tech industry analyst has predicted that an update to the iPhone 5, the iPhone 5S, will ship in June 2013. Aside from improved hardware specifications, the analyst believes the new device will also come in a number of different colors. ... Jeffries analyst Peter Misek recently unveiled his predictions for a new version of the iPhone 5. Misek believes the device will come equipped with a "super HD" camera and screen and will feature a longer battery life. iPhone 5S to Receive Long-Awaited NFC Technology Misek also believes an updated iPhone 5 will receive Near-Field Communication (NFC ... (view more)