Microsoft has added a useful feature to its Bing Maps service: mall maps. If you’ve ever been stuck in a mall and tried to find one of those map kiosks but your wife is like, “Don’t wander off, I’ll only be a minute,” and you’re like, “Can I at least go to Starbucks?” and she’s like, “You know you’ll get sidetracked …
Smartphones
Google Exec Shows Off Next Generation Android Tablet
The prototype Android tablet made by Motorola that Google’s Andy Rubin showed off at All Things Digital’s mobile conference yesterday sure looks nice. It won’t be available until some time next year, but it runs Google’s tablet-specific operation system, Android 3.0—also known as “Honeycomb”—and sports a 3D graphics chip by …
Consumer Reports Names AT&T Worst Wireless Service Provider
The January 2011 issue of Consumer Reports hits the newsstands tomorrow and features the results from a survey of 58,000 readers regarding the overall levels of satisfaction with their respective cell phone service providers.
AT&T ranks lowest among U.S. carriers and, according to Consumer Reports, “was the only one to drop …
New Google Phone Has Curved Screen, Latest Android Version
Google’s newest flagship Android phone, the Nexus S, has just been officially announced. Google designed the handset in conjunction with Samsung to showcase the latest version of the Android operating system, known as Gingerbread.
Google-branded phones such as the Nexus S provide what Google calls a “pure Google” experience. Unlike …
Man Claims Motorola "Droid 2" Phone Exploded Against Ear
A man in Cedar Hills, Texas claims that his Motorola Droid 2 smartphone exploded as he was talking on it, causing damage extensive enough to warrant four stitches inside his ear.
“I didn’t feel any pain initially,” Aron Embry told CBS News. “I pulled the phone down, I felt something dripping, I realized that it probably was …
Radio Shack Shaves $50 Off iPhone Prices (More If You Trade in an Old One)
Radio Shack is slashing $50 off the price of the iPhone 4 and iPhone 3GS now through December 11. The iPhone 3GS, iPhone 4 (16GB) and iPhone 4 (32GB) will drop to $49.99, $149.99 and $249.99 respectively.
If you’ve been waiting to upgrade, the time is now especially since Radio Shack is also offering to pay $75 credit for a 3G …
Verizon 4G: Fast But Expensive
Verizon’s new 4G service is live and it’s fast. I’ve been testing out one of the two devices that’ll be available this Sunday, the $99 LG VL600 USB modem, and I can honestly say that it blurs the line between lower-tier home broadband plans from the likes of Comcast and Time Warner.
Now keep in mind that nobody’s really on Verizon’s 4G …
Android and iPhone Battle for "Most Desired" Smartphone
Data broken down into several categories and represented by various graphical charts (including pie!); could it be any more exciting?
Neilsen has decided to throw iPhone, Android, and a handful of other smartphone platforms into the mix and watch them duke it out for the coveted title of Intergalactic Championship of the Universe. Or …
Verizon Launching Fast 4G Mobile Data Service Next Week
Verizon will be flipping the switch on its 4G LTE (Long Term Evolution) high-speed data service next week. The company promises mobile browsing speeds up to 10 times faster than its current 3G service.
The company won’t be launching 4G-capable mobile phones until early next year, but customers will be able to buy one of two 4G USB …
Google Prepping "Editions" Electronic Book Store
Not content to watch Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Apple and others eat up all the revenue from sales of electronic books, Google is busy prepping its own digital book store called “Google Editions.”
The project is aiming to launch before the end of the year here in the U.S., Google’s Scott Dougall told the Wall Street Journal. And unlike …
BlackBerry Users Get "Roam" Credit Card Reader Attachment
BlackBerry users now have a secure way to quickly capture credit card transactions on their handsets. The newly-announced Roam attachment is “the world’s first encrypted audio coupled card reader for BlackBerry devices,” according to the company’s press release.
The “swiper,” as it’s called, connects to the headphone jack of any …
“Angry Birds” to Get Free Festive Update
Are you one of the 37 million people who has downloaded the handset game, Angry Birds? Do you think it needs a Christmas revamp? For free? Got your attention now, haven’t we?
(Take a look at the Guide for Christmas Shopping 2010 on TIME.com.)
You read that correct. Angry Birds‘ developer, Rovio, announced via Twitter that they will …