California Senate Passes Bill Requiring Smartphone Kill Switches

This is just the first step in the bill becoming law—it would have to also pass the California Assembly and be signed into law by Governor Jerry Brown or his successor (likely to be Jerry Brown, for those keeping score at home). The new bill would require remote kill capability starting in July of 2015,…

Analyst: iWatch isn't about Smartwatches

With rumors of an Apple smartwatch running hot and heavy, analysts are offering thier take on just what might be up — or at the end of — the company's sleeve. Cantor Fitzgerald analyst Brian White thinks the mythical watch isn't about being a smartwatch at all, and instead is a wrist top remote for…

'Home' App Makes Facebook Center of Some Android Phones

Facebook offered up its big reveal on Thursday, taking the wraps off of “Home,” a new Facebook app for Android. Or, at least some android devices. Home puts Facebook services front and center by taking over your home and lock screens and giving you quick access to status updates and messages from your Facebook friends.…

Safari: The Smart Search Bar, the Cursor, & You

When you open a new tab (Command-T) or a new window (Command-N) in Safari, you'll almost always want your cursor to start in the so-called Smart Search Field. After all, it doesn't make a ton of sense to open a new window, all ready and eager to start typing a URL or a search term,…

Nokia Threatens to Take Toys Home in Apple SIM Fight

Understanding the Fight The battle between the tech giants is an interesting one. On the one hand, Nokia, RIM, and Apple have all proposed different solutions for the 4FF standard in Europe. This standard is also referred to as a nano-SIM card, as it is for a smaller SIM card that will give smartphone makers…

Karotz Smart Rabbit: A Fun Toy with Serious Usefulness

The Karotz Smart Rabbit is a PC- and Mac-compatible gadget that brings a variety of fun and useful apps into a small, entertaining form factor. Through a web page interface, you can load up your Karotz with applications from an “Appz Store” that, while small, is growing daily and is open for developers to do…

HP MediaSmart Servers Get Mac Support

HP introduced updated versions of its Windows-based MediaSmart Servers on Monday with support for the Mac. The ex485 and ex487 both support Mac OS X 10.5 and let users back up their data and share an iTunes library over a local network. HP’s MediaSmart Server for the home. The ex485 and ex487 support Leopard’s Time…

Smarthouse: Mac Tablet Prototype Built, Manufacturers Bidding

“The Mac tablet has been designed to handle third party applications such as home automation software that will allow users to control lighting, audio, entertainment devices and security feeds,” wrote Mr. Richards. “It also acts as a full blown PC, and has wireless linking for a new generation of Wireless Hi Fi speakers that are…