talking

Although the clock in the Windows system tray displays the time, it doesn't do much else, and there are a variety of programs that seek to provide useful clock features that Windows doesn't. Talking Desktop Clock is an attractive addition to the default Windows clock, and we recommend it to anyone who could use an audio reminder or alarm.

Talking Desktop Clock appears as an icon in the system tray and also displays an attractive translucent analog clock face, which disappears when you mouse over it. Opening the Options menu revealed a wide variety of settings, including numerous … Read more

Google initially supported chat with its client software, Google Talk. Then, it integrated chat right into the Gmail interface, allowing users to chat from any browser, without having to install software.

The official Google Chrome extension, Chat for Google, now lets you conveniently have chat windows outside of your browser. You can even start Google+ hangouts from it.

After installing the extension from the Chrome Web Store, right-click on the browser button to configure its options.

If you're restricted from installing software on your computer (maybe at the office) or you prefer not to use the Google Talk client, … Read more

AT&T announced today that it is launching a trial program to test out its enhanced push-to-talk services (PTT), which aims to improve communication between work groups in the mobile field service.

Selected businesses that employ field agents and dispatchers in industries that include utilities, transportation, and manufacturing, will test out AT&T's wireless network and the carrier's mobile broadband speeds.

During this trial, AT&T will be collaborating with Kodiak Networks Inc. and Raytheon JPS to boost the capabilities of private mobile radio (PMR) systems in terms of greater coverage and faster connection speeds.… Read more

It wouldn't be a normal week in Apple news land without a healthy dose of lawsuits, rumors, and spy shots of future products. This week did not disappoint in any of those categories.

First things first, the iPad 3. Rumor has it we'll see it the first week of March, or at least a device that will succeed the iPad 2. Word of that was joined with a photo of what might just be the back casing of the new device, which when stuck next to an iPad 2 suggested we could be looking at the real deal. … Read more

Pretty soon, the Nextel in Sprint Nextel isn't going to make much sense anymore.

Sprint's Nextel network won't completely shut down until next year, but the company is already working to turn off the iDEN network. During the company's quarterly conference call today, executives laid out plans to decommission cell sites this year and talked up the financial benefits to come.

Nextel merged with Sprint in one of the most ill-advised deals in corporate history, with consequences of the disaster still apparent seven years later. Today, the company reported yet another unprofitable quarter. Nextel, which at … Read more

You certainly can't call the past few days boring for Apple.

The company filled a vacancy left on its executive team, was handed a fairly major setback in a German court, and maybe had its next iPod's big trick unveiled in some alleged spy shots.

That was all on top of a petition from a third-party consumer-watchdog group demanding Apple improve working conditions at overseas factories where its products are made.

These events were joined by a juicy bit of news that came out during an interview with recording artist Neil Young, where Young casually mentioned that he … Read more

It's not every year that laptops take center stage (or even close to it) at CES. But in 2012, a combination of ultrabook hype and inventive product designs combined to make portable computers the most interesting category of the show.

A few weeks back, during CES, we shot the second version of what we're now calling the Laptop Talk Show. The show was streamed live online, and shot in front of a live audience, but has not been made available for on-demand viewing until now. This year's version features myself, Scott Stein, and Molly Wood going over … Read more

There wasn't a product launch to be seen, but Apple had one of its biggest news-making weeks yet.

That came in the form of what can only be described as a monster earnings report, with Apple breaking its own records, and those set by other companies.

Apple's first fiscal quarter of 2012 was its most profitable, and once again put it within spitting distance of Exxon Mobil to be the world's most valuable company by market cap. Perhaps something that's actually more easily understandable is the fact that the company sold more than 37 million iPhones … Read more

This week marked the end of speculation about Apple's plans to expand its business in the education market.

At a relatively low-key event held in New York this week, the company debuted a new version of its iBooks software with support for textbooks, alongside free authoring tools for Macs that can be used to create and publish new iPad-compatible works.

Additionally, Apple opened up its iTunes U program to any institution, including K-12 organizations--expanding the company's original pilot program from a select group of universities.

Of note, the announcements tied up a loose end introduced in Walter Isaacson'… Read more