BYTE: Consumer Technology in Business

Smartphones With Physical Keyboards

Larry Seltzer — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 10:30 EDT

There was a time when all smartphones had hard keyboards. Then the iPhone came. It wasn't the first touch-screen smartphone, but it made it respectable, even fashionable, to use a smartphone with a soft keyboard. After a while, hard keyboards themselves, associated as they are with BlackBerry, seemed to symbolize the old way.

BlackBerry Q10 - The Keyboard to Success?

Larry Seltzer — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 08:00 EDT

The jury is still out on the new BlackBerry Z10 with a touch display, and the company strenuously denies analyst claims of high return rates. But the jury on BlackBerry overall hasn't even been sent to deliberate. First they need to get good look at the Q10, the new BlackBerry 10 with a physical keyboard.

Remote Control Devices With Bluetooth Battery Wrapper

Max Cherney — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 10:00 EDT

Leave it to two rocket scientists to invent an intelligent, programmable battery.

Nine Things Smartwatches Need To Succeed

Serdar Yegulalp — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 09:00 EDT

Apple, Samsung and Google are all rumored to be working on smartwatches. With all the buzz about these devices, it's hard to see the real use cases through all the hype. Here's nine things we think any smartwatch worth its salt (and silicon) needs:

Burner: Disposable Phone Numbers For Voice, SMS

Max Cherney — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 11:45 EDT

There's an app for pretty much everything these days, and now there's one that will turn a smartphone into a burner phone: i.e. a disposable phone not associated publicly with you.

Why PC Sales Are In Free Fall

George Ou — Thu, 11 Apr 2013 10:33 EDT

The latest IDC report has some alarming news for Microsoft and the PC industry. Personal Computer sales are in free fall due to lack of hardware and software innovation. Not only has Microsoft Windows 8 failed to save the PC industry, the hated operating system (OS) has actually harmed PC sales. The PC industry has its share of blame with the failed tablet launch.

How To Bug Mitch McConnell's Office

Larry Seltzer — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 08:46 EDT

A report in Mother Jones this week cites a recording of Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) in his offices engaged in what he thought was a private conversation. Someone recorded the conversation and provided the recording to Mother Jones.

When Will the Old Phone Networks Die? Not Soon

Max Cherney — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 08:00 EDT

Plain old telephone service — POTS — isn't going away. Not for a while. But POTS is getting less and less popular, and that rate is increasing.

Nokia Lumia 920 Run Over, But Still Works

Larry Seltzer — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 09:48 EDT

The Nokia Lumia 920, the flagship Windows 8 Phone, feels solid in your hand. But who knew it was this solid?

Smartphone Kill-Switch Idea is DOA

Max Cherney — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 08:30 EDT

A kill-switch, designed to make a phone inoperable if activated, is an expensive, unwieldy option with current technology, according to industry experts. The idea behind such technology is to discourage smart phone theft, a rampant problem in American cities.

Facebook Home: You Are the Product Being Sold

Serdar Yegulalp — Fri, 05 Apr 2013 14:33 EDT

I'll say this for Facebook. They will never stop finding ways to appall me.

Top 10 Changes iOS 7 Needs

Chris Spera — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 11:00 EDT

The first iPhone was introduced in 2007 to great anticipation and fanfare. It quickly became a hot commodity, featuring cool stuff everyone had to have. It's now 2013 and we're quickly approaching the six-year anniversary for the device that would rule them all.

Cell Phone Inventor Talks of First Cell Call

Larry Seltzer — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 14:30 EDT

It was 40 years ago today, April 3, 1973. Martin Cooper, then a senior engineer at Motorola, made a cell phone call — the first one ever.

Windows 8.1 (Blue) is Incremental - That's a Good Thing

Larry Seltzer — Wed, 03 Apr 2013 08:02 EDT

Mere months after the release of Windows 8, some are wondering where Windows 9 is already.

iPhone 5S Likely to Channel Steve Jobs' Influence

Max Cherney — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 16:10 EDT

According to The Wall Street Journal, Apple plans to begin production of a new iPhone in the second quarter of 2013. That new phone, possibly called the iPhone 5S, will likely resemble the jump from an iPhone 4 to 4S.

Free Cellular Data From Karma, Where Available

Max Cherney — Tue, 02 Apr 2013 12:00 EDT

Karma is a Wi-Fi hotspot with a twist – the hotspot is always open and the more people who connect, the more free data I get – 100MB for me and 100MB for each new person who signs on.

Dell Latitude 10-ST2 Windows 8 Pro Tablet: the Good and the Bad

Chris Spera — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 11:50 EDT

Tablet computing is all the rage right now. Apple has its iPad and iPad mini. Samsung has the Android-powered Galaxy Tab and Galaxy Note; and Microsoft has Surface RT and Surface Pro. Dell also has a Windows 8 Pro tablet – The Dell Latitude 10-ST2. How does it measure up to the expected tablet experience? Is it a good alternative to either the 64GB or 128GB Microsoft Surface Pro tablet? Let's take an in-depth look and find out.

Tablet

iPad nano Fills Micro-Tablet Niche For Apple

Larry Seltzer — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 05:00 EDT

Apple will release a new "micro tablet" soon called the iPad nano.

Gmail Users Cut Off in Windows 8

Larry Seltzer — Fri, 29 Mar 2013 07:45 EDT

Gmail and Google Apps customers will have a severely-downgraded experience on Windows 8 thanks to a protocol spat between Microsoft and Google.

Windows Blue's Got Me Down

Chris Spera — Thu, 28 Mar 2013 13:33 EDT

I've been using Windows 8 since the release of the Developer Preview. I feel comfortable enough with the OS and with the hardware it runs on that I feel I have a valid opinion of Microsoft's latest desktop operating system.

BlackBerry Balance - The Real Reason To Buy It

Larry Seltzer — Wed, 27 Mar 2013 10:45 EDT

My recent first impressions story on the BlackBerry Z10 was typical of BlackBerry 10 reviews you'll see: I used the phone as a consumer user would — not as BlackBerry has designed it to be used by a business user.

Windows Blue/9: No Desktop? No Way!

Larry Seltzer — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 11:03 EDT

There was a flurry of blogosphere action over the weekend related to a leaked version of a future Windows build. It's code-named Windows Blue and for obvious reasons some are calling it Windows 9, but who knows what it really is. I recommend the excellent video put up by WinBeta for a tour.

BlackBerry Q10 - Feel the Keyboard

Larry Seltzer — Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:45 EDT

BlackBerry's Z10, which has a full-size touch screen, finally became available this week in the U.S. Click here to see an image gallery with BYTE's first impressions of the Z10.

AT&T’s New Data Plans Dissected

Serdar Yegulalp — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 09:00 EDT

Ever get the feeling you'd been cheated? Well, sometimes it helps to check your feelings.

Unlocked Android Smartphones Will Free Consumers

George Ou — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 10:00 EDT

The 9.7-inch iPad costs Apple $316 to make and sells for $499. The 4-inch iPhone costs Apple $207 to make and sells for $649. Yet, most consumers buy iPhones and other overpriced smartphones like hotcakes because they pay a little upfront while mortgaging the next two years with an expensive smartphone contract. That's starting to change with the arrival of the Google Nexus 4 and companies like Blu Products selling premium smartphones that traditionally cost $600 for less than half the price.