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consumer electronics - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

  • Solar camera strap concept shines

    Grabbing your camera as you're about to head out, only to find it's running low on power is one inconvenience that designer Weng Jie is hoping he can solve.

  • Sprint unveils Samsung Epic 4G smartphone

    Just a few weeks after launching the HTC Evo 4G, Sprint Monday introduced the Samsung Epic 4G smartphone, which features a four-inch AMOLED touchscreen and a slide-out Qwerty keyboard.

  • MIT app uses mobile phone to determine eyeglass prescription

    MIT Media Lab researchers have developed a mobile-phone application that, coupled with a small plastic device held over the screen, can determine users' eyeglass prescriptions. Called NETRA or near-eye tool for refractive assessment, the system asks users to align lines on the phone's screen while looking through a small plastic cube.

  • Apple Responds to iPhone 4 Antenna Problem

    Apple's iPhone 4 signal problems have been the source of a barrage of complaints by customers complaining of a faulty antenna and now Steve Jobs has broken the silence. In an e-mail Jobs downplayed users' reception gripes as a "non-issue." Meanwhile others within Apple are advising iPhone 4 users to avoid gripping the device from the lower left corner.

  • iPhone 4 accessories

    If you managed to get your hands on Apple's hotly anticipated iPhone 4, the next step may be to purchase a new set of accessories. The iPhone 4 features a new shape and design, preventing the smartphone from fitting into older iPhone docks and cases. It also has new capabilities like video calling, which could take advantage of new wireless networking equipment.

  • US trade panel to investigate S3 complaint against Apple

    The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) has launched a formal investigation into four patent complaints filed against Apple by computer graphics hardware maker S3 Graphics, which asked the agency to block Apple from importing the iPhone, iPad and other products into the U.S.

  • NFC sees light at end of the tunnel with transit projects

    Short range communication using NFC (Near Field Communication) circuitry embedded in mobile phones has had a difficult journey to market, but it may soon see light at the end of the tunnel with increasing adoption for city transit projects, according to analysts.

  • Motorola Droid X smartphone a win for Android

    It was surely only the purest coincidence that Verizon, Motorola and Google introduced the Droid X smartphone the day before Apple's iPhone 4 shipped. And certainly, the companies' ability to get actual shipping units into reviewers' hands before most of them could see Apple's latest had not a whiff of calculation. Perish the thought.

  • After iPhone 4, What's Next for Apple?

    Now that <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/search?qt=apple">Apple</a> has successfully launched this year's <a href="http://www.pcworld.com/article/199827/hands_on_with_iphone_4.html">iPhone</a>, what can we expect next from Cupertino? Here are five strong candidates:

  • iPhone 4 antenna problems, screen discolouration marr launch

    Complaints of iPhone 4 antenna problems and screen discoloration are pouring in from frustrated iPhone buyers grappling with what they claim are flaws in the popular new handset. The good news is there are a few potential fixes for what might ail your new iPhone 4.

  • iPhone 4: Nearly all it's cracked up to be

    If there ever was an over-hyped product, it's... well, actually, it's the iPad. But the iPhone 4 is close on its heels. But even after all the hoopla -- from the speculation and rumors to the "lost" phone incident and police action -- the arrival of the iPhone 4 is no letdown. The iPhone 4 really is all that was promised and more. Except for a potential reception problem.

  • Apple 4 opening day: Not all is iPhone-tastic

    If early reports of iPhone 4 problems are any indication of what's ahead the thousands of giddy Apple faithful, waiting in line for an iPhone, there could be trouble ahead. Some early iPhone 4 owners are reporting a few minor problems you should be aware of.

  • Motorola Droid X: The Best of the Droids

    The follow-up to Motorola's wildly popular Droid on Verizon, the Droid X ($US200 with a two-year service contract from Verizon; available July 15) is one of the hottest phones to debut this summer. Its specs outshine those on the other Droid phones available on the network, but it falters a bit when it comes to performance. Nonetheless, the Droid X is one of the top phones to debut this summer, on a par with both the HTC EVO 4G and the iPhone 4.

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