iPhone

Facebook Home and the next stage of iPhone vs. Android

The home computing revolution of the 1980s and '90s was defined by a battle between two titans: Apple and Microsoft. After its IPO and the introduction of the Macintosh, Apple was riding high.

The company started losing the PC market in the '90s, though. Microsoft released Windows 3.0 as a cheaper alternative to the Macintosh in 1990, but it was the release of Windows 95, which brought a comparable GUI (graphical user interface) to PCs, that really hurt Apple. And Apple also suffered from a lack of vision, owing to the absence of its visionary leader, Steve Jobs, from … Read more

Apple to develop digital wallet in next year or two, says analyst

Apple may finally step its toes into the digital wallet world over the next year or two, forecasts Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster.

The analyst believes a payment option for iOS users may launch with the iPhone 6 in the first half of 2014. Apple will use a technology other than or in addition to near-field communications (NFC), but its system will work with existing mobile payment solutions.

The company already has one major asset ripe for a digital wallet system -- its users.

Apple holds the key to around 500 million iTunes users and their linked credit cards, which … Read more

T-Mobile kicks off preorders for iPhone 5

T-Mobile subscribers can now preorder the iPhone 5 before it officially hits stores in another week.

The carrier's Web page lists all varieties of the iPhone for preorder -- the 16GB, 32GB, and 64GB models in either black or white. Consumers will also find their purchase options different from the ones offered by Verizon, AT&T, and Sprint.

With T-Mobile's new contract-free, subsidy-free plan, buyers have two choices: They can shell out the full nonsubsidized cost of the iPhone up front, or they can contribute a small down payment and then pay off the full cost in … Read more

France Telecom CEO: iPhone too pricey for Europeans

There may be a reason why Android devices are more popular in Europe than Apple's iPhone: they're cheaper.

The CEO of one of Europe's largest wireless carriers said today that European customers are becoming increasingly more pennywise, which is putting a damper on sales of costlier mobile phones. Hence, this should sound as a warning call to Apple.

"Customers are more focused on price," France Telecom CEO Stephane Richard told Bloomberg. "Except for a few hundred thousand people who will buy the latest iPhone -- except for that category of people -- the majority … Read more

Set Twitter's Connect tab to only show mentions on Android, iOS

When using Twitter on your Android or iOS device, the Connect tab is where you can find all of your interactions (by default as of an update in February) such as mentions, retweets, and new followers. While this may be the desired view for some, for others it can lead to a cluttered experience.

Luckily there's a simple solution to remove retweets and new followers from the Connect tab.

Using either the iOS or Android version of the app, you'll first need to navigate to your "Me" or profile tab. From there tap on the Settings … Read more

Why Apple would make a cheaper iPhone

CNET Update clears calendar for summer:

In addition to a brand-new summer iPhone, it's said Apple is working on a plastic iPhone. Today's Update explains why that could make sense for Apple.

Also in the roundup, there's yet another video service launching. The streaming music service Rdio is diving into the video space with Vdio.

For those that won't give up on CDs and vinyl records, Amazon is offering free digital copies of songs with AutoRip.

And what's next for mobile communications as the cell phone turns 40? HD Voice is rolling out to carriers … Read more

Apple stops blocking Microsoft's Skydrive app for iOS

Microsoft released an update of its SkyDrive for iOS app today, indicating that Apple is no longer blocking the app's updates from the App Store.

Until today, Microsoft hadn't updated its cloud storage service app since June 1. This was reportedly due to a dispute between Microsoft and Apple over fees. The app's 3.0 version includes support for iPhone 5 and the iPad Mini, and the ability to download full resolution photos to an iPhone or iPad.

In December, a report surfaced that Microsoft allegedly didn't want to pay Apple a 30 percent fee for … Read more

iPhone pricing said to draw scrutiny in Taiwan

Apple apparently is receiving some scrutiny in Taiwan over iPhone pricing.

The country's Fair Trade Commission said today that it plans to investigate allegations that Apple has been interfering in how Taiwan's telecom operators are setting iPhone prices, according to a report from Taiwan's Central News Agency.

The question of whether the U.S. tech giant has violated fair trade rules depends on whether the Taiwanese carriers are seen "as distributors of iPhones or consignment-based sellers," the report said. If Apple were to be found guilty, the maximum fine reportedly would be NT$25 million (… Read more

Google's Quickoffice comes to Android, iPhone

Some competitors would figure if you can't beat 'em, join 'em. But when it comes to Google's strategy for competing with Microsoft's productivity suite, the company is trying to do both in a way.

Last night, Google released Android and iPhone versions of its Quickoffice software for handling Office files. The software, which lets people view and edit Excel, Word, and PowerPoint files, runs natively on various devices the way Office does, not in the cloud the way Google Apps does.

The software, available to customers of the company's Google Apps for Business service, is on … Read more

T-Mobile said to provide LTE on unlocked iPhones on April 5

Unlocked iPhone 5 owners on T-Mobile's network might be able to update their devices to LTE a bit earlier than expected. According to TmoNews, the carrier is said to be sending out an update on April 5 that will enable LTE, Visual Voicemail, and more.

"The T-Mobile Carrier Update is a minor iOS software update that enables official iPhone support by T-Mobile," a notice sent to TmoNews says. "When installed, the software update enables a handful of capabilities like Visual Voicemail, MMS Settings, and Network/Device optimizations that customers do not have access to today. On … Read more