Tablets

How to activate Facebook Chat Heads on your iOS device

Today Facebook updated its iOS app, bringing Chat Heads to the platform, although it's in a limited way. The new feature will only work while you're actively using the Facebook app.

Chat Heads will slowly roll out over the coming weeks to iOS users, but if you're the impatient kind who isn't afraid to edit some files on your device, you're going to want to head on over to this post on iMore.

The post will walk you through the process of saving, viewing, and editing a PLIST file from the Facebook app; you then … Read more

Google still wants Apple to use its maps, Eric Schmidt says

The Apple Maps fiasco may have died down, but Google still wants its mapping program to be default on iOS, said Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Schmidt, speaking today during an AllThingsD mobile conference, declined to say why Apple decided to go with its own mapping system rather than working with Google as it had in the past. But he said his company is still pushing Apple to use Google Maps as the primary navigation tool on iOS.

"We would still really like them to use our maps," Schmidt said. "It would be easy for them to take … Read more

Eric Schmidt: Motorola's new products are 'phenomenal'

The Android handset market may be very competitive, but Motorola's new products are "phenomenal," said Google Chairman Eric Schmidt.

Schmidt, speaking today during the AllThingsD mobile conference in New York, declined to specify what devices Motorola is building but said people should think of the products as "phones plus."

"What I'd advise to do with Motorola is wait and see with the next generation of technology," Schmidt said. "It's very, very impressive."

Google bought Motorola in 2011 for $12.5 billion, but the combined company has yet to release … Read more

Android phones to top 1B by year's end, Eric Schmidt says

One billion people will be using Android smartphones within the next six to nine months, Google Chairman Eric Schmidt predicted today, noting the operating system continues gaining traction across the globe.

Schmidt, speaking during the AllThingsD mobile conference in New York, also said there will be nearly 2 billion Android phones within a year or two. Currently, there are more than 750 million Android phones in use across 320 carriers and 160 countries, Schmidt said, and there are 1.5 million sales or activations of Android every day.

"Android is by far the primary vehicle by which people are … Read more

Windows RT demand is weaker than hoped, Dell exec says

Microsoft had grand ambitions for its Windows RT operating system, but more signs are pointing to trouble.

A Dell executive today said demand for the company's first Windows RT device, the XPS 10, has been weaker than hoped, largely because consumers still don't really know what the operating system is or what it can do.

"Demand is not where I would like it to be at this point in time," Neil Hand, head of Dell's tablet and high-end PC business, told CNET. "The amount of market information about it is not good enough, and … Read more

Get a $70 Walmart gift card when you buy a Nook HD+

I realize it's not Tuesday, but this tablet deal won't wait.

For a limited time, and while supplies last, Walmart is offering a $70 e-gift card when you buy a Barnes & Noble Nook HD+ tablet. The 16GB and 32GB models sell for $269 and $299, respectively.

If you frequently shop at Walmart for things like groceries (meaning you'd spend $70 there anyway), then this effectively works out to $199 or $229.

Contrast that with an earlier Nook HD+ deal, which awarded you a free Nook Simple Touch. That one came from B&N proper, and … Read more

Galaxy S4 Group Play makes sharing easier (hands-on)

Sharing is a big part of Samsung's products (just think of all those ads in recent months, like the one with a woman giving her husband a secret video). Now the Korean electronics giant is taking that a step further with the Galaxy S4's improved Group Play.

Galaxy S3 users will recognize this as the feature that lets them share documents and photos with others in close range. I recently got some hands-on time with Group Play on the S4 and found some nice updates to the program. In particular, future S4 owners can share music and games … Read more

Edit, filter, and share photos with YoCam

There is a new entry in the crowded iOS photo-editing app field. Dubbed YoCam, this universal app costs 99 cents and provides a great degree of control, though there are a few drawbacks. Let's have a look.

Launch YoCam and you'll be given the option of snapping a shot with the app or loading a photo from your library. Once you have loaded a photo, you're given a menu of editing tools at the bottom of the screen. The second button from the left provides six editing tools that let you make fine adjustments to the brightness, … Read more

Use Android? Get Chat Heads by installing Facebook Messenger

Facebook neglected to mention at its press event last week where Facebook Home was announced, that it would also update the Android version of Facebook Messenger to bring Chat Heads to all devices that have the app installed.

Chat Heads is a feature that allows you to access an SMS or Facebook Messenger conversation from any screen on your Android device by tapping on small circles that contain a profile pic of whoever it is you're conversing with.

There aren't too many Android devices that will be getting access to Facebook Home today once it's released in … Read more