Here’s what you can do with an NFC chip implanted in your hand

Over the past few years, the Internet of Things has become a major topic of conversation in the world of technology. Within the next decade or so, everything in our homes might be connected to the Internet, from our phones and televisions to our kitchen appliances and our smoke detectors. Before too long, we may even connect ourselves to this ever-expanding network, as Robert Nelson recently did.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:10PM, October 23

Apple: Bending in iPhone 6 Plus From Normal Use 'Extremely Rare', Only 9 Customers Have Complained

Apple has commented on the ongoing complaints about the iPhone 6 Plus bending in user pockets, telling CNBC that the new iPhones include steel/titanium inserts to reinforce stress locations and that they use the "strongest glass in the industry."



The company went on to say that only nine customers had complained about bent iPhones, suggesting the issue is not as widespread as it has appeared in the media. It also stated that both the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus have met or exceeded testing for strength and durability, and that bending in the iPhone 6 Plus during normal use is "extremely rare."





Reports of the iPhone 6 Plus's weakness to bending first began trickling in on Monday, after several MacRumors forum members shared images of devices that had bent while in a pocket. The bending issue went viral after a YouTuber posted a video of the iPhone 6 Plus warping out of shape when bent in his hands, which caused significant damage near the device's volume buttons.



Given the media attention the bending received, it was difficult to tell how many users were truly affected by iPhone 6 Plus bending during real world usage. Though Apple kept quiet on the issue until today, the company has been directing its support staff to replace affected phones under warranty following a visual inspection.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:10PM, September 25

EEP: Google may be walking into a trap that even BlackBerry knew to avoid

Last month, when we heard the suggestion that BlackBerry should team up with HP to give its devices more of a presence in the enterprise, we called it the worst advice BlackBerry has ever received. What's more, we expressed confidence that BlackBerry CEO John Chen was wise enough to avoid that particular pitfall given HP's utterly disastrous history with designing and selling mobile products, low-lighted by its decision to buy and then quickly kill off Palm's once-promising webOS platform.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:10PM, August 13

Samsung May Acquire Nuance, the Company That Powers Siri

Speech-recognition company Nuance, which is responsible for the technology that powers Siri, Apple's virtual assistant, is in talks with Samsung Electronics about a possible acquisition, reports The Wall Street Journal . The company has spoken about a possible sale with Samsung and other private-equity firms, but it is unclear if a deal has been reached.

The Burlington, Mass., company has recently spoken about a possible sale of the company with Samsung Electronics Co. and private-equity firms, some of the people said. It isn't clear where sale talks, some of which happened earlier this year, currently stand or if they will lead to a deal.

Nuance is well known for its speech recognition and dictation recognition software, which includes Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It has also formed partnerships with multiple companies, such as Amazon, and released an API for developers. Nuance's best known partnership is with Apple, however, as its speech and dictation recognition algorithms are the backbone of Siri.



The exact nature of the partnership between Nuance and Apple was unknown for many years as the deal between the two companies was kept secret, but in 2013, Nuance CEO Paul Ricci confirmed that Nuance's technology powers Siri's voice recognition capabilities. "We're a fundamental provider for Apple," he said at the time.



It is unclear what impact a possible Nuance acquisition would have on Apple's relationship with the company. Apple may be forced to find another solution for Siri's voice recognition abilities, but it's important to note that many of Siri's functionalities beyond voice recognition come from integration with other companies like Yelp, OpenTable, and Wolfram Alpha.



Back in 2013, a report suggested that Apple may already be working to move Siri development in-house, stepping away from longtime partner Nuance. Apple has a dedicated Siri team in Boston that may be working on a voice recognition solution in the event that Apple is forced to end its partnership with Nuance. Nuance's talks with Samsung and other parties remain in the early stages, however, as noted above.



iOS 8 brings several enhancements to Siri, including real-time feedback, Shazam integration, hands-free voice activation, and the ability to open the App Store for the first time.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:10PM, June 16

Nike CEO 'Excited' About Future of Fitness Partnership with Apple

Late last week, it was revealed that Nike is scaling back its FuelBand hardware effort to focus on the software side of its fitness tracking ecosystem, sparking speculation of a potential partnership with Apple focused around the iWatch or other Apple hardware.



Nike CEO Mark Parker appeared on CNBC earlier today, and while he would not directly address specific plans with respect to Apple, he did note that Apple is a longtime partner and that he is "excited about where that relationship will go forward."

Parker: [Y]ou're going to continue to see us commit to this area, to focus on expanding the reach. Today, we have about 30 million FuelBand users. We're hoping to push that to over 100 million. We have partners that we work with...obviously the most visible partner we have is Apple. We've been working with them for a long time. And we're excited about where that relationship will go forward.



CNBC's Sara Eisen: Well, can you give us a hint? Are we going to expect some sort of collaborative device coming out? Nike and Apple?



Parker: I can't really say that. There's been a lot of speculation, which I understand. I will just say the relationship between Nike and Apple will continue. And I am personally, as we all are at Nike, very excited about what's to come.

Parker went on to discuss how Nike is going to focus on the software side of the wearable fitness device market going forward, integrating it into some of of Nike's products as well as those of partners. With those partnerships, Nike is seeking to further its primary goal of expanding the overall Fuel ecosystem to as many people as possible.



Speculation of a Nike-Apple partnership is natural given the long history between the two companies, highlighted by the Nike+iPod initiative to bring pedometer and other fitness tracking to Apple devices. Apple CEO Tim Cook has served on Nike's board of directors for nearly a decade, and he is frequently seen wearing a Nike FuelBand.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:10PM, April 25

It’s mostly Android deserters who buy cheap iPhones

In its earnings call on Wednesday for the second quarter of its fiscal year 2014, Apple revealed that more than two out of three cheap iPhone buyers are switching over from Android, highlighting the move as a success for the company. Apple’s Tim Cook said that on the quarter, 62% of iPhone 4s buyers and 60% of iPhone 5c buyers ditched Android smartphones to purchase an iPhone.

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Posted in 2014 at 06:10PM, April 24

Aereo, the online TV service terrifying broadcasters, is out of capacity in New York

Aereo is either a brilliant online TV streaming service that could potentially revolutionize the television industry as we know it, or a dastardly thief profiting from what broadcasters claim amounts to stealing their services. The courts haven't yet decided, but what we do know conclusively is that consumers love the idea of being able to stream all the TV programming they want to their PCs, smartphones and tablets for just $8 per month. For people in the New York area looking to cut the cord and give Aereo a try, however, we have some bad news: The service is now operating at capacity in New York City and can no longer accept new customers.



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Posted in 2014 at 06:10PM, January 31