Check Your Comcast Data Usage

As a result, one of the new blights of our Internet life is the process of keeping track of our monthly data usage. Here’s how to do it with Comcast. (Note, Comcast has a complex site and there are lots of different ways to do things. I’ve picked a simple approach for beginners.) 1. First,…

Infinity Blade II Slices Onto the App Store

Infinity Blade II for iOSInfinity Blade II takes players on a quest to discover the secrets behind the Infinity Blade with new 3D environments, new combat styles with weapons, armor and spells, dynamically changing locations, and more.The game is optimized for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2, although it is compatible with the iPhone 3GS…

New HP CEO: Apple Could Lead PCs in 2012

HP CEO Meg WhitmanPhoto by Max Morse HP might be second only to Netflix for corporate upheavals in the last six months. In August, the previous CEO, Leo Apothekar, announced that HP would be getting out of the PC business, discontinuing the recently released TouchPad, and dropping WebOS. Mr. Apothekar was dismissed from HP short…

Carrier IQ Collects Everything on Android Phones [Update]

A piece of software called Carrier IQ has apparently been installed on more than 141 million phones from Samsung, HTC. While the same is true of a lot of software, CarrierIQ is loaded without the permission of users, always runs, doesn’t show up in the list of running apps on those devices, and—this is the…

UBS Dismisses iPad Concerns on Corning Glass Warning

At issue was a warning from Corning on Tuesday that the company was cutting its estimates for its Gorilla Glass business. The company said that rather than seeing a 15% decline quarter over quarter, it was now expecting a 25% decline. The firm blamed less-than-expected demand for tablet glass, a comment that lead many to…

iTether Gone From App Store Hours After Launch [Updated]

iTether didn’t last long at the App StoreTethering shares the 3G wireless data connection from a cell phone with your computer for Internet access when Wi-Fi and Ethernet networks aren’t available. Many iPhone owners that want to take advantage of tethering without paying for the feature resort to jailbreaking and installing unauthorized third-party apps.The quick…

Crowd Source-Funding for New MacBook Air Docking Station

infiniWing has put together a nice video presentation, highlighting the LandingZone’s features. While the product looks perfect for 2010 MacBook Air owners, the noticeable lack of Thunderbolt makes this less than ideal for 2011 Air owners. The product still works with 2011 MacBook Airs, but it draws video from that port without passing it through…

Tankbot by DeskPets is a Hoot

DeskPets has released several desk-type toys and the Tankbot is their latest creation.  It works on its own or remotely controlled with an iPhone, iPod, or iPad. The MSRP is US$25.00 and is available in orange, lime green, blue, and gray.   Tankbot color choicesTo take advantage of the remote control aspects of the Tankbot…

A Brief Moment of Thanks for How Things Aren’t

In this particular program which followed soon after Steve Jobs’s death, they focused not so much on Mr. Jobs’s contribution to our lives, great as that has been, but on the contribution of the company as a whole.  Right in the middle of it I was suddenly struck with a memory that had not surfaced…

HTC to “Reevaluate” S3 Purchase, Will Appeal ITC Ruling

An Artist’s Rendering of HTC’s Reevaluation Process The company made the announcement via a statement, that said: HTC is disappointed at the outcome of the recent ITC ruling that stated Apple did not infringe S3 Graphics’ patents. S3 Graphics will continue to appeal. HTC has made significant effort in preparing for these complicated legal proceedings,…

Apple Hiring More Cloud Execs, Report

Apple in the Cloud These efforts have included turning to headhunting firms and recruiters, something Apple has been known to do only recently. For instance, Apple tapped Egon Zehnder International, an international recruiter, to help find a replacement for retail star Ron Johnson, who left Apple to take over as CEO of retail stalwart J.C.…

Music CDs Near Dead; iPods Fade

“The major labels plan to abandon the CD-format by the end of 2012 (or even earlier) and replace it with download/stream only releases via iTunes and related music services.” Before you jump out of your seat to jeer or cheer, bear in mind that this remains unconfirmed: “EMI, Universal and Sony…all declined to comment.” Still,…

Apple Adjusts Aussie Attorneys for April Adjudication

In the back and forth patent infringement battle between Apple and Samsung, both companies have sought injunctions against the other’s products. Apple successfully won a temporary injunction against Samsung’s Galaxy Tab 10.1 Android tablet in Australia in October (retailers have found ways to get around the ban), and in a counter claim, Samsung is seeking…

Snowboard Combines iPad, Steve Jobs Tribute

The iShred is a one-off board with a built-in iPad, and an illuminated logo on the bottom of the board. The logo lights up when a rider steps into the board’s bindings, and the iPad is fully functional. The aluminum base is a first for the snowboard industry, and is a tip of the hat…

Pile it On: Apple, Samsung, Cash & Babies

Apple’s Big Ol’ Money Pile Many times when Apple adds to its billions-high cash pile Bernstein Research analyst Toni Sacconaghi says Apple should give some back to shareholders, either in the form of dividends or stock buybacks. And yet, with Apple sitting on an astronomical US$81.6 billion, Toni, Tony, Tonee’s not singing the usual song.…

3 Free Apps For Wine, Food, and Song

You don’t have to be into Greek religions to know a little some-some about partying. Just go to any frat house or popular drinking joint on a Friday night to see what I mean. Having a wild blowout just takes a bit of determination. Of course, fall is the time when lots of bashes are…

The Last Particle Debris

What will be different is that it’ll be a named column. And what that will do is give me the freedom to create better, longer titles. After all, what other column has the name and date embedded in the title itself? So you’ll have to watch for the column by it’s badge in the red…

Broken iPhone 911 Call: I’m Just Not Very Smart (Video)

The CNN video below is from an Anderson Cooper RidicuList report where he played excerpts from the tapes. Mr. Skopec started by stating that his iPhone wasn’t working, but that he didn’t need police, fire, or ambulance assistance. Subsequent calls got no further. He refused to give his address, except for the one time he…

IHS Teardown: Amazon Kindle Fire Costs $202 to Make

Kindle Fire The company estimates the total cost of the Kindle Fire is currently US$201.70, slightly more than Amazon’s $199 price tag. The teardown resulted in a slightly lower cost to the $209 price tag IHS estimated before it had an actual unit to tear down, and it conflicts with another teardown by TechInsight that…

Apple Combo Power Adapter Could Charge Mac, iPad Simultaneously

The power adapter could adjust its voltage to properly charge a single or multiple devices, and would let users carry a single charger instead of individual ones for each Apple product they need to power up.One possible configuration for Apple’s multi-device charger conceptLike Apple’s current power adapters, the patent shows a MagSafe connector for Mac…

Apple Starts Environmental Audit for China Parts Suppliers

Apple auditing China factories over environmental concernsWord that Apple has been reviewing the environmental practices at factories in China followed a report that the company has been talking with local environmental groups such as the Institute on Public and Environmental Affairs (IPE). The company has already met with the organization twice, and started investigating factory…

Hands-On with the Kindle Family

While most of the attention this week may be paid to the Kindle Fire, Amazon also did something for book lovers out there by rounding out its Kindle family with the release of the Kindle Touch. For those consumers who primarily use their digital device to read and find LCD displays hard on the eyes…

USPTO Reaffirms Powerful Apple Location Services Patent

  The patent was acquired from Xerox in 2009—it was originally filed in 1998 and issued to Xerox in 2000. According to CNet, Apple took ownership of the patent on December 17th, 2009. Apple refiled for the patent on September 1, 2010, and the U.S.P.T.O. reaffirmed it by reissuing it on November 15th, 2011. Not…