consumer electronics - News, Features, and Slideshows

Features

• 11 must-have Android apps for business

  Now that business users have begun clamoring for Android phones in earnest, it's a better time than ever to take a fresh look at the Android apps now available for enterprises.

• Is the ViewSonic ViewPad just another Streak?

  Only a few weeks ago Dell was taking a beating over its tweener device, the Streak. But now ViewSonic is unveiling a similar mini tablet, the ViewPad 7, which is a phone with a 7-inch screen and 2.2 Android OS, or Froyo, cameras for front and back and 3G data transmission. Could this signal a larger demand for a bigger phone or a smaller iPad?

• Why Intel's Infineon buy is a smart move

  Intel has been on a buying binge lately. Just two weeks ago the world's largest chip maker agreed to acquire security vendor McAfee for $7.68 billion, and today it announced plans to buy Infineon Technologies' Wireless Solutions (WLS) division for $1.4 billion.

• Google voice chat not ready for business--or is it?

  Google's new Gmail calling may be a great way for consumers to make free and low-cost voice calls, but the service isn't quite ready for business customers using Google Apps, the search giant's suite of cloud-based productivity programs.

• iPad copter fun to fly, steep learning curve

  The AR.Drone from France-based Parrot is an exciting, fun-to-fly, four-rotor helicopter that can be piloted over Wi-Fi by an iPad, iPod Touch or iPhone. But flying indoors proves tricky and may frustrate inexperienced pilots. The helicopter goes on sale in the U.S. at Brookstone stores on Sept. 3, 2010, for US$299 and is available for pre-order now.

• Fujifilm's new 3D camera is fun but pricey

  While 3D movies are already experiencing something of a backlash, technology vendors are still pushing forward with 3D content -- trying to persuade us that 3D is to 2D what talkies were to silents.

• Mobile apps security: Apple iOS v. Google Android

  The Apple iOS, which runs on its iPhone, iPod Touch, and iPad, has a flaw in how it reads PDF documents that makes it easier to hack. This flaw is exploited by JailbreakMe, a one-click site that makes it easy for anyone without any real tech skills to hack into their own iPhone.

• Droid 2 details seep out

  If you're hoping to get your hands on the Droid 2, the anticipated refresh of Motorola's popular Android-based device, you may not have much longer to wait.

• Android Expansion: 6 Products That Aren't Smartphones

  That little Android mascot must be struggling to catch his breath.

• Blackberry Torch 9800: Try again, RIM

  Research in Motion performed a neat smoke and mirrors trick when introducing the BlackBerry Torch 9800 yesterday.

• What Android's impressive growth means for you

  Rather than bore you with an opening line about how Android phones outsold the iPhone last quarter, I'm going to begin with an anecdote:

• How Android 2.2 will boost business

  Froyo is coming.

• On strengths of Linux, Android will win mobile contest

  Mirror, mirror, on the wall, which mobile operating system is fairest of all? That's a common question, given the many contenders in the mobile arena--and the well-publicized glitches that have recently come up.

• Android and Apps

  The more I use the HTC Incredible, the more I like it. And the thing that really makes the Incredible, er, incredible is its operating system, Android<.

• The state of the Android ecosystem

  As the second-generation Android devices debuted, there were serious questions about the state of the platform. Unlike the release of the <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/reviews/product/39727/review/g1.html">HTC G1</a> (also known as the "Dream"), which was for a short time the only Android handset available, more phones and more versions of the Android OS meant that manufacturers and wireless carriers had to make decisions about what which hardware and software to support.