Recently in Hardware Category
New options abound to buy Apple's widely coveted piece of music-telephone machinery.
As of Dec. 28, Wal-Mart now sells a $197 8GB or $297 16GB version of the iPhone with a two-year AT&T service agreement.
Wal-Mart will place iPhone 3G kiosks in about 2,500 of its retail stores, the company reports.
Meanwhile AT&T now offers a refurbished version of the 8GB iPhone for $99.
Rumors had spread that it would be Wal-Mart offering the $99 version. Not so.
The iBreath Alcohol Breathalyzer ($89), from the David Steel, lets users assess their intoxication level with a few simple steps. Learn more from Judy Mottl here at InternetNews.com The Blog. Below is a video of the peripheral in action:
Research firm AdMob has completed a survey of Wi-Fi activity on mobile networks and found that Wi-Fi requests in November were at 8 percent, up from 3 percent in August.
In addition, 42 percent of data requests on the iPhone came on Wi-Fi, a possible result of reported 3G difficulties on the AT&T network. Apple had an astounding 78.5 percent of the Wi-Fi activity on mobile devices according to the November report.
The iPod Touch entertainment device and Sony PlayStation Portable gaming unit were also among the top Wi-Fi mobile gadgets, despite their lack of phone capabilities.
With all the buzz about iPhones and BlackBerries and Androids, can the mobile phone business really slow down this coming year? That's what research firm IDC reports.
IDC says the global economic crisis will bring sales of mobile handsets down 1.9 percent in 2009 from this year. Mobile phones haven't dropped since 2001, according to IDC.
Customers may choose to hold on to their current phones if they're not breaking down, even as their contracts run out.
The good news: IDC says sales of mobile phones will rise again in 2010 as the economy rebounds. And we'll splurge more on the new gadgets then. Well, can't wait that long!
With the upcoming Orange Bowl and BCS National Championship college football games around the corner, AT&T plans to place a "cell on wheels" in the parking lot of Dolphin Stadium in Miami.
Increased traffic is expected on iPhones and other devices on AT&T's network at the games. AT&T will have personnel onsite at the stadium to monitor network traffic.
In addition, the carrier plans to add voice channels to its two existing cell sites inside Dolphin Stadium and to ramp up high-speed third-generation (3G) capacity for thousands of calls and data sessions.
According to AT&T, its 3G network is now accessible in 335 major metropolitan areas in the United States.
According to the country's competition authority, the deal "by nature introduces a new factor of rigidity in a sector that already lacks competition." Orange and Apple are a little over a year into what's supposed to be a five-year agreement.
The plan is for the country's competition authority to delve more deeply into the matter while the ruling is in effect. Meanwhile, other French operators can sell the iPhone.
A ControlMic button allows users to Play, Pause and Skip music. Press the button once to pause, twice to skip forward a track and three times to skip back a track. You can also use this button to answer calls or send them to voicemail.
Just about the only thing missing from these peripherals is a built-in volume control. You have to adjust volume on the iPhone itself, either on the screen or through the switch on the left side of the Apple smartphone. It would be nice not to have to fumble for your iPhone to increase the volume when driving, for instance.
TuneBuds (left) features washable ear cushions in a three sizes—small, medium and large. You pick the one that's most comfortable for you. We liked the middle-sized ear cushion. If you, like us, have allergies or simply build up a lot of earwax naturally, you'll find the ability to clean this rubberized buds quite convenient and useful.
As Griffin points out, the buds conform to the ear and isolate sound; they do it quite well, actually. It's like you're listening to music while surrounded by a layer of water filtering out the sounds of the outside world. Not bad.
Our one concern regarding the buds is how they muffle sounds a little too well sometimes. This is fine when listening to music but could prove a little dangerous when driving.
According to the Journal, the move is part of an effort by new president Lee Myung-bak to open South Korea's market.
Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics together account for around 90 percent of handset sales in South Korea, the newspaper reports.
The Journal says by opening up the smartphone market to RIM and Apple, the Korea Communications Commission aims to become more in line with trends in global technology.
