Tablets

AT&T's Samsung Galaxy Note 8 LTE sells for $400, $200 bundle

Starting Friday, LTE-hungry tablet buyers will be able to swoop in on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8 tablet from AT&T.

With a new two-year service agreement, the 1.6GHz quad-core Android Jelly Bean device sells for $399.99, not including the monthly data connection.

That's a fairly steep price for those on the fence about choosing a smaller slate over a larger one, which is presumably why AT&T will kick off sales with a $199.99 sticker price when you also buy a new smartphone.

Catch all the pros, cons, and even more in CNET'… Read more

Nook tablet discounts extend beyond Father's Day

Father's Day is lasting a little bit longer than usual, at least in the land of Barnes & Noble.

The retailer revealed on Monday that it's stretching its special Father's Day sales prices on the Nook HD and Nook HD+ tablets. Kicked off on June 10, B&N's self-dubbed "best prices ever" promotion will now last for an extended but limited amount of time.

The Nook HD is selling for $129 for the 8GB version and $149 for the 16GB model, while the Nook HD+ can be had for $149 for the 16GB … Read more

Apple e-book trial: How the case has unfolded so far

Apple's e-book pricing trial has brought its fair share of funny moments and tense exchanges.

The Justice Department, which initially sued Apple and a handful of the nation's largest publishers slightly more than a year ago, contends Apple forced publishers to move to a model that artificially inflated the prices of digital books and hurt consumers. Apple has argued that it wasn't trying to change in the industry and that it was only trying to secure the best deal for itself.

With two weeks down and one week to go, most of the key witnesses have testified. … Read more

Restrict volume on iPhone, iPod, and iPad

If your kid is using an iPhone, iPod, or iPad to blast music at unsafe levels, you should consider setting a limit on their maximum volume. I mean, they'll hate you for it -- but they'll also hate having tinnitus in their 20s, right?

In the above video, I'll walk you through the steps of lowering the maximum volume limit on any iOS device, as well as locking that setting in place using a password of your choosing.

If the video doesn't appear above, try going directly to the video on CNET TV or pay a … Read more

You can limit the amount of data Google Music uses on Android

Google's music-streaming service All Access launched last month during I/O. The service, similar to that of Spotify or Slacker, allows Android users to create radio stations or stream entire albums directly on an Android device.

Streaming isn't a new feature in the Google Music app, as you have been able to stream music library stored in the cloud service for a while now. But All Access has increased the amount of streaming, and thus increased data usage.

Google on Thursday updated the Android Music app, which now allows you to choose the audio quality streamed through the … Read more

How to clear all your Android app caches with App Cache Cleaner

The apps on your Android device typically use a cache to improve performance. Over time, the cache for certain apps can grow quite large. Clearing the app cache can free up precious space and sometimes resolve problems you might be having with the app.

To clear the cache, you normally go to the Android app manager, click on the app from the list, then tap on "Clear cache." If you want to clear the cache for all your apps, you have to repeat this procedure for every single app, unless you use a cache cleaner like App Cache … Read more

Steve Jobs initially didn't want an iBookstore, Eddy Cue says

NEW YORK -- Apple is in hot water over its digital bookstore, but late-CEO Steve Jobs initially didn't even want to enter that market, a high-level Apple executive said Thursday.

Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet software and services, on Thursday testified in district court in lower Manhattan that he had to convince Jobs to let him pursue an e-bookstore. Even before the iPad launched, Cue was certain Apple should have a bookstore for its iPhone and Macs, but Jobs believed those products weren't ideal for reading.

"What happened was when I got my … Read more

Free iPad presentation app keeps it simple

A recent Microsoft television ad for the Surface implies that the iPad can't open PowerPoint presentations. One of the many options for creating, viewing, and editing PowerPoint and other presentations on an iPad is the free CloudOn app, which I described in a post from last June.

The advanced features of PowerPoint and other Office apps are overkill for tablet screens. The iPad needs a presentation app such as the free Haiku Deck that's designed for the tablet's strength: showing pictures.

Haiku Deck emphasizes telling your story in pictures: your own images or royalty-free photos in the … Read more

Rumor Has It: What're you going to do now, Microsoft?

This week has been just crazy.

Among all the fun and games: At WWDC, Apple announced a completely revamped iOS 7, iTunes Radio, new MacBook Airs, a new Mac Pro, and a new OS X. At E3, Microsoft announced a price and release date for the Xbox One. And Sony announced the price, release date, and used-games policy for the PlayStation 4. Everyone cheered, and then passed out from exhaustion.

But because of all the hoopla, I think that Microsoft is going to ease up on its restrictions. What do you think?

Also, Samsung could beef up its Galaxy Note lineup, and an analyst predicts you'll be wearing an iWatch by the end of the year. … Read more