power

Apple's iPhone satisfaction streak is alive and well.

J.D. Power and Associates today released its rankings of the most popular smartphone vendors. And for the ninth-consecutive time, Apple took the top spot with a score of 855 out of 1,000. Back in September, when J.D. Power last conducted a study on smartphone customer satisfaction, Apple scored 849.

The second-place smartphone vendor in the latest J.D. Power survey was Nokia, scoring a 795. Samsung came in a close third at 793, followed by Motorola and HTC with 792 and 790, respectively. The average vendor score was … Read more

Safety science company UL today issued a warning to consumers and retailers about counterfeit Apple USB power adapters.

These adapters are designed to look just like the ones Apple includes with the iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad Mini, and even bear the same model designation as Apple's legitimate USB adapter (Model A1265).

The easiest way to spot a fake is in the writing on the back of the device. Instead of saying "Designed by Apple in California," you will see either "Designed Abble in California" or "Designed by China in California."

"These … Read more

Countless different music players are available in the Play Store, but there are only a few that stand out. PowerAMP Music Player for Android is one of them because of its simplicity and solid performance.

Installation and setup of PowerAMP Music Player for Android are fairly simple. This version, however, is a 15-day full-featured trial, and to unlock the full version you have to purchase the PowerAMP Full Version Unlocker for $3.96. The interface of this music player is straightforward and simple. The general layout of the home screen consists of a black background and high-contrast icons. Performance of … Read more

Who says you need specialized microscopy equipment to capture extreme closeups of snowflakes?

Using a cheap setup consisting of a Canon PowerShot A650 IS compact camera and an old manual lens, Russian-based photographer Alexey Kljatov has managed to capture the intricate details of snowflakes right down to their crystalline forms. … Read more

There's no doubt that the best of today's receivers sound great and come jam-packed with a vast range of features. Even entry-level models paired with a decent 5.1 speaker/subwoofer system can do a fine job, but some buyers aim higher. They may have invested in a 65-inch or larger display, or maybe a video projector and a 120-inch screen. They crave a sound that matches the grandeur of the picture, and they can get that only with separate components like the Outlaw Audio Model 975 Surround Processor and Model 7125 Power Amp.

The Model 975 Surround … Read more

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This week on Crave, Japanese scientists teach moths to drive mini trucks, and a new app called Dognition claims to improve our relationship with man's best friend. Also, we decide if a $30 million Death Star Kickstarter campaign is worth it, and Montana is apparently full of badasses! Those stories and more, plus a round of "Into It, Not Into It." … Read more

For the fourth consecutive time, J.D. Power and Associates has named Verizon Wireless as the leader in customer care among full-service wireless providers.

The semiannual report is based on feedback from thousands of consumers, scoring carriers based on three contact channels: telephone; walk-in (retail store); and online.

Verizon leads all full-service providers with a score of 766, just ahead of AT&T's 759, however both were above the industry average. Verizon credits social networking efforts for the high marks, touting the active and light-hearted online personality.

J.D. Power also found the carrier to do particularly well … Read more

The U.S. Patent and Trademark office published a patent application from Apple today for solar-paneled technology designed for devices with small screens, such as iPhones or iPods.

This "integrated touch sensor and solar assembly" would involve integrating social cells into a touch screen by using electrodes that can pull double duty as a solar cell and a touch sensor. Apple envisions this technology for handheld devices, like "a media player or phone," according to the patent application. In addition to images of different size iPods, the patent application also comes with an image of a screen that's sized for an iPad. … Read more

Where was I when the lights went out?

I was at my post for the game in the CBS operations center inside the Superdome, sitting next to our head of NFL sales and our director of operations. As with every Super Bowl, we stayed in constant communication with the production truck to make sure all the commercials and promo spots played as scheduled. There are formats, rules, and procedures, and our job is to oversee them. We are there for quality control, and usually it all goes right.

Nothing prepared us for what we heard over the director's intercom: &… Read more