Yikes: NSA can turn on your iPhone’s camera, mic without you knowing

The National Security Agency (NSA) has apparently able to hack the iPhone since 2008, according to a Der Spiegel interactive report that looks at the NSA’s various tools used for spying purposes. One particularly interesting tool, codenamed “DROPOUTJEEP,” is an implant that was first used to compromise the first-generation iPhone and was able to send various data stored on the phone to the agency, including text messages, address book contacts, geolocation and voicemail. Furthermore, the software could activate the microphone of the iPhone, turn on the camera and take pictures and retrieve cell tower location.



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Posted in 2013 at 12:45PM, December 31

Apple’s iPhone is finally a big deal in China

Apple and China Mobile on Sunday announced the highly anticipated iPhone deal between two companies has been finalized. The Chinese carrier, with more than 760 million subscribers of which over 42 million are rumored to be iPhone owners even though China Mobile has never sold the device in its stores, will have both the iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c in stores next year, with support for its 3G and growing 4G networks.



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Posted in 2013 at 12:45PM, December 23

Apple is losing tablet market share – here’s why it might not matter

Android tablets have led the iPad in market share for a while now and Windows-based tablets will likely take off at some point as well. Does this make Apple worried? That's doubtful — the company has shown again and again that it cares much less about maintaining market share than it does about maintaining high margins for its tablets. To back that point up, IHS has put out some research this week showing that while most tablet vendors are trying to compete with each other aggressively on low prices, Apple is sitting back and selling its tablets at high prices and getting high margins in return.



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Posted in 2013 at 12:45PM, October 31

Self-driving cars could cut down on injuries by 90%, save $450 billion

The thought of thousands of autonomous vehicles flying down our highways might be a frightening one, but it could also be a permanent solution for traffic safety. The Eno Center for Transportation claims that the proliferation of self-driving cars could cut down on vehicle-related injuries by up to 90% while saving the U.S. economy around $450 billion annually. According to the Eno Center, a vast majority of accidents occur because of human error, and more than 40% of wrecks involve drugs, alcohol, distraction or fatigue. Remove these factors from the equation and the roads quickly become much safer. Of course, the technology behind autonomous vehicles is still being perfected, so it could be years before this vision of the future is even feasible, much less financially viable.

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Posted in 2013 at 12:45PM, October 30

Samsung is cooking up exciting new "magnetic resonance" wireless charging tech for 2014 phones

Samsung has found plenty of inspiration in devices launched by rival smartphone makers, but the South Korean electronics giant has also done plenty of innovating itself. Samsung's new Galaxy Round is one example, albeit an awful one. The phablet category exists as it does today solely because of Samsung though, and now the company is reportedly working on some exciting new wireless charging technology for its upcoming phones.



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Posted in 2013 at 12:45PM, October 16

Microsoft prepares for phablets with latest Windows Phone update

On Monday, Microsoft announced the third major update for Windows Phone 8, which will enable higher resolutions and a larger Start screen in order to support the upcoming phablet generation of Windows Phones. The new 1080p displays on smartphones from 5 to 7 inches will be able to fit six Live Tiles across the screen as opposed to the four offered by smaller Windows Phones. Windows Phone 8 "Update 3" will also allow new phones to support Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800 quad-core processors.



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Posted in 2013 at 12:45PM, October 14

Video: Samsung’s Galaxy Gear ad is cooler than the actual watch

Critics may have savaged Samsung's first Galaxy Gear smartwatch but that hasn't stopped the company's crack marketing team from churning out a terrific ad that's much cleverer than the device itself. The ad for the Gear shows the device very little and instead rolls a montage of smartwatches used in classic movies and television shows including Dick Tracey, Star Trek, Knight Rider and James Bond. The point of the ad seems to be that after years of having smartwatches serve as cutting-edge technology for our favorite on-screen heroes, Samsung has actually gone ahead and produce one. Or as Samsung puts it: "The next big thing is here." The full video follows below.



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Posted in 2013 at 12:45PM, October 07