Stories by Mark Sullivan

Facebook announces 60+ new apps for 'Timeline'

You know those "Alex P is listening to Sleezin' by Freak-Z on Spotify" messages you always see in your Facebook ticker? You're going to start seeing many more of those, and not just ones about your friends' music tastes.

Tablet reliability and satisfaction: iPad comes out on top

Though a multitude of competing tablets have entered the marketplace, our results show that the iPad remains miles ahead of the pack in durability, ease of use, and features such as battery life, screen quality, and overall speed.

Smartphone reliability and satisfaction: iPhone tops the list

PC World readers like their iPhones. More survey participants own this model than any other phone, and an unusually high proportion of them praised its durability, ease-of-use, design, and camera quality in our 2011 Reliability and Service survey.

New iPhone 4S: Antenna 'death grip' now slightly harder

Apple has changed the antenna in the new iPhone 4S so that the cellular radio in the phone can choose between two antennas, depending on which one is sending or receiving signal best. These two antennas are part of the stainless steel band that wraps around the sides of the iPhone 4 and the new 4S. On the iPhone 4 this band is split up into several antennas so that one piece does Wi-Fi, another does GPS, another does Bluetooth and still another does cellular.

Chrome OS laptops: Google makes businesses a sweet offer

The spotlight on Day Two of the Google I/O developer event here in San Francisco was firmly on the company's Chrome OS. After six months in which only a prototype was available, laptops running Google's Chrome operating system will finally come to market for consumers, businesses and education.

LG Optimus Black review: Impressive, modest

The LG Optimus Black is a smartly designed Android phone that features a nice-looking display, a simple and clean user interface, and battery life that would make some far-more-expensive smartphones envious.

A market for iPads, not for Tablets

I chuckled at Apple’s explanation yesterday of its tablet sales coming up short of expectations: “We can’t make them fast enough,” Apple’s COO Tim Cook said during an earnings call with analysts. Were he speaking for any other company, his statement would have smacked of PR bluster, but Cook meant it literally: Apple’s suppliers can’t make the components for the iPad 2 as fast as Apple can sell the device.

ZTE V9 and V11 Android-based tablets

The ZTE V9 tablet was a bit of a letdown after seeing some of the other tablets here at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. While other companies are rolling out sleek devices running Android Honeycomb, ZTE had on display a number of tablets that looked aimed at tablet buyers on a budget.

Famous Facebook flip-flops

Social networking giant Facebook has a history of backtracking. On numerous occasions, the company has made an important move--especially with regard to user privacy--only to reverse its course after a public outcry. This isn't surprising, given Facebook's shoot-first-and-ask-questions-later approach to making strategic changes to its service.

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