Smartphone Definition: What Makes A Phone ?Smart?, And What Are The Benefits Of Owning One?

If you’re considering getting a new mobile phone, such as an iPhone 4, Samsung Galaxy S or HTC Desire HD, then you should understand the smartphone definition. What makes a smartphone different from any other phone? Why is is called “smart”? And is it a good investment? Basic Smartphone Definition Quite simply, a smartphone has all the functions of a normal mobile phone, but also has some of the features that you’ll find on a computer. So, you can surf [...]

Source: http://tabletbuzzblog.com/smartphone-definition-what-makes-a-phone-smart-and-what-are-the-benefits-of-owning-one/

Sylvia Lösche Steven Walnsch Lennart Tonn Simone Temme

Robert Galvin, former chairman and CEO of Motorola, dies at age 89

We're very sorry to report that Robert W. Galvin, former chairman and CEO of Motorola, died this week in Chicago at the age of 89. Over the course of his nearly three-decade tenure at the helm, Galvin oversaw Motorola's transformation from a mid-level radio and walkie talkie manufacturer into one of the world's leading electronics makers. In the process, he cemented his legacy as one of the industry's most forward-looking executives. The Marshfield, Wisconsin native first joined the company as a stockroom apprentice in 1940, and would go on to spend his entire career there (save for a tour of duty in World War II). He was named chairman and chief executive in 1959, following the death of his father and company founder Paul Galvin. Under the younger Galvin's stewardship, Motorola expanded the depth and breadth of its operations, moving into emerging markets and focusing much of its efforts on the burgeoning cellular industry. Galvin spearheaded this transition, which saw Motorola introduce the first commercial cellphone in 1973, and the first cellphone network in the early 1980s. When he first took control, Motorola's annual sales stood at around $290 million. By the time he retired as chairman in 1990, however, that figure had ballooned to $10.8 billion. Galvin went on to serve on the company's board of directors until 2001 and, though he may have departed, his impact certainly won't be forgotten anytime soon. "We will continue to honor Bob Galvin's legacy here at Motorola Mobility," said current chairman and CEO Sanjay Jha. "He was committed to innovation, and was responsible for guiding Motorola through the creation of the global cellular telephone industry." Robert "Bob" Galvin is survived by his wife of 67 years, four children, 13 grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

Continue reading Robert Galvin, former chairman and CEO of Motorola, dies at age 89

Robert Galvin, former chairman and CEO of Motorola, dies at age 89 originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 07:23:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceThe New York Times  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/ZPqV-3ZQarA/

Rita Imhof Angelika Frey

Aviiq Portable Charging Station Review

Traveling with a lot of gadgets means traveling with a lot of chargers and cables.  All those chargers can add up to a bulky, heavy load to add to your already bulging gadget bag.  And being sure you take all of them ? and bring them back home ? can be difficult when you have [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/10/13/aviiq-portable-charging-station-review/

Tobias Leinenbach Olga Kreibich Nathalie Donnerhacke Anna-Lena Baumgärtel

Hornettek Vader Aluminum iPhone 4 Case Review

Hornettek’s Vader aluminum case is third in a string of iPhone 4 case reviews that I am in the process of doing. After a near catastrophic mishap my iPhone had a few months ago, I decided it was time to raise the bar on protecting my smartphone. Before that close call, I had been using [...]

Source: http://the-gadgeteer.com/2011/10/11/hornettek-vader-aluminum-iphone-4-case-review/

Antonia Koppe Gertrud Hölzl Ulrike Kellner Nicola Kohnen

Keen On? The Problem With the Internet: Consumers Want Culture for Nothing (TCTV)

morrisonThis summer, at the prestigious Edinburgh International Book Festival, the prize winning Scottish writer and filmmaker Ewan Morrison made a highly controversial speech about the death of the traditional author and the book. Indeed, Morrison?s speech made such a stir in Europe that I invited him onto TechCrunchTV to familiarize our global audience with his controversial views. The unvarnished Morrison didn?t disappoint. Arguing that the Internet is a ?model for extreme American capitalism?, he told me that today?s high quality book and author are being killed by three forces: Google, Amazon, and the consumer. While Morrison?s Google and Amazon arguments have been made before by a number of critics (including myself), it is his critique of the online consumer that is likely to be most controversial. But is he right? Could it really be possible that it?s the online consumer ? with his or her insatiable appetite for free or very cheap content ? that is killing our culture?

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/Techcrunch/~3/I_7VAMQWm1U/

Maike Beetz Fiona Henschel Joshua Heinlein Markus Wigger

Microsoft trumpets Windows Phone 7 numbers on first birthday

windows phone 7
Happy first birthday, Windows Phone 7! One year on, and the fledgling mobile operating system has 36,000 active developers in its AppHub community, 1.5 million downloads of its Developer Tools, and 11,500 apps in its Marketplace.

Microsoft is quick to take a couple shots at competitors' app stores, beating its chest about not re-counting tanslations of an app or "lite" apps, "increasing tonnage" by supporting apps from other mobile platforms, and not listing wallpapers as a category.

That's all fine and dandy, but we spend a lot of time sifting through WP7 app feeds -- and we're still not seeing a lot of awesome apps on the platform. We think a few marquee apps would've made a pretty nice first birthday present -- along with a much smoother update process for WP7 users.

Microsoft trumpets Windows Phone 7 numbers on first birthday originally appeared on Download Squad on Fri, 01 Apr 2011 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/04/01/microsoft-trumpets-windows-phone-7-numbers-on-first-birthday/

Erna Van den Hout Laura Pauli Janna Löhnig Gabriela Schnee

Google finally pulls the plug on Buzz amid 'fall sweep'

Before there was Google+ there was Google Buzz, the company's big effort to stake a claim in the social networking space. That, of course, didn't exactly work out for the search giant, and it even managed to spark some lawsuits and attract the eye of the FTC. Now Google has finally swept it under the rug in a bit of fall cleaning, stating in a blog post today that Google Buzz and the Buzz API will be shut down "in a few weeks," and that it will now focus solely on Google+ instead. Also getting the axe is Jaiku, a social networking service that Google acquired in 2007, as well some of the social features on iGoogle, and the company's Code Search service, which will officially be shut down along with its API on January 15th of next year. And, if that wasn't enough, Google also confirmed that today's the day that the Google Labs site will be shut down (its demise was announced this summer).

Google finally pulls the plug on Buzz amid 'fall sweep' originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 14:45:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink AllThingsD  |  sourceOfficial Google Blog, Bradley Horowitz (Google+)  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/YLtUF3wjAIU/

Elfriede Oltmanns Janine Hillenbrand Vivien Strupp Elena Lasch

Survival Lab is a fun pixelated game where dying doesn't matter

Survival Lab
In most games, dying is a bad thing. You have to start all over again, or at least revert to the last save point and lose some progress. Not so in Survival Lab: in this pixelated gem you play as a lone individual pitted against ruthless weapons in a sealed chamber. You have to run, jump and duck, collecting little yellow things (I have no idea what they're called).

For each donut-like yellow thing you pick up, you gain a bit of experience. If you manage to collect several in a row without getting hit, this counts as a combo. You can see my mad combo skills in the screenshot, of course. Collecting combos is a good thing, because a ten-point combo gives you for more experience than just collecting ten dounts one by one (getting hit in-between).

Having experience is useful, because once you die, you get to a screen where you can upgrade your skills. You can learn to run faster, double-jump (and then double-jump higher), and duck. You can also gain more armour so that getting hit won't kill you so quickly.

What makes this simple game so addictive is that when you die, your experience doesn't reset. You just go back to the same level, or another level of your choosing, and keep accumulating more and more experience. Lots of fun, especially if you're into the whole retro-gaming thing.

Survival Lab is a fun pixelated game where dying doesn't matter originally appeared on Download Squad on Mon, 28 Feb 2011 16:20:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Source: http://downloadsquad.switched.com/2011/02/28/survival-lab-is-a-fun-pixelated-game-where-dying-doesnt-matter/

Joshua Heinlein Markus Wigger Alexander Berner Oliver Büdenbender

iPhone 4S welcomed by AT&T activation delays, iCloud stumbles out of the gate

If you've unboxed a shiny new iPhone 4S from AT&T today, you've most likely had an experience similar to many others who made the same purchase: frustration. It seems that the surge in activity from the release of Apple's new handset has reduced activation traffic on Ma Bell's network to a crawl. This isn't the first time the carrier has had issues on launch day -- but back then, it didn't have any competition. Now that Verizon and Sprint have joined the iPhone party, the pressure's on and AT&T's not looking good compared to the other carriers who don't appear to be having issues. As if that weren't enough for the folks in Cupertino, iCloud had a rocky debut this week as well -- from absent verification emails to an inability to backup data. Apple has documented all five of the new service's foibles via the coverage link below, but it appears everything's been peachy since early this morning. So, have you been waiting for your new iPhone to be more than a shiny new paperweight? Leave a comment, and let us know.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

iPhone 4S welcomed by AT&T activation delays, iCloud stumbles out of the gate originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Oct 2011 17:38:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink   |  sourceCNET, AllThingsD  | Email this | Comments


Source: http://feeds.engadget.com/~r/weblogsinc/engadget/~3/Hk2bnzILgSM/

Sascha Dörr Kristin Gehrmann Annette Lechner Margarethe Lachner

12 Nuclear Toys from the Dawn of the Atomic Age [Design]

Living in the '50s must've been cool (aside from the racism and constant gnawing fear of nuclear annihilation)—I mean just look at all these cool atomic-themed toys to play with! Our friends at Oobject have assembled the 12 best. More »


Source: http://feeds.gawker.com/~r/gizmodo/full/~3/9Y0IEyRar8Q/

Antonio Fellberg Emma Knebel Jason Randow Benjamin Schötz