32GB Asus Transformer Prime now available at Office Depot

The holiday shopping season is all over and you were able to get everyone the tech goodies and gadgets that they wanted. Now, you should be taking care of yourself. You know that you have been wanting the first quad-core Android tablet, the Asus Transformer Prime. With the combination of strong sales of the product, and a suit by Hasbro that seeks a temporary ban on the Transformer Prime's sales, you also know that you need to find a place quickly to pick up the Asus Transformer Prime before it becomes harder to score than two tickets on the 50 for the Super Bowl.

the Motorola DROID 4 dummy show off dimensions of the device

Verizon has yet to introduce the Motorola DROID 4, but with all of the leaked pictures and specs, it is obviously coming soon. In fact, the latest speculation calls for a February 2nd launch of the phone. And even though there has been no announcement regarding the model, TechnoBuffalo was able to get its hands on the dummy version of the DROID 4 that is used to let potential buyers get an idea of the dimensions of the phone and to make sure that it fits well in the hand.

The USPTO: Patenting logical conclusions since 1790

We've noticed that when we post a story about a new patent application, the conversation seems to always devolve into the same issues: whether or not a company is a bully, and whether the patent is just stealing an idea from somewhere else. The trouble is that these views miss the point entirely. And, to be clear, although we will use Apple as an example multiple times in this piece, it is only because Apple's patent library has garnered something of a mythical status in the tech world. There are plenty of companies that game the system just like Apple, but that is the point: these companies are playing within the system, so we don't blame them for the state of things. Apple has simply been one of the best at taking advantage of a broken system. Apple's patent filings and subsequent lawsuits are a symptom of the problem with the patent system, they are not the cause, nor will eliminating them necessarily be the solution. We need reform of the whole patent system. 

LG to show off first Medfield-powered smartphone at CES, shipping by March?

It’s been a long, slow road for Intel as Chipzilla attempts to invade the mobile device market. Despite showing off pre-production prototypes at last year’s CES, 2011 was yet another trip around the sun without Intel inside… anything in mobile.

Verizon comes to its senses, gives up $2 "convenience fee"

One more present to be delivered before the end of the year for Verizon customers. Facing strong negative consumer reaction and the threat of a government investigation, Verizon just announced that they will forgo the "convenience fee" it announced earlier, where customers would have been charged an extra $2 to pay their bills in certain ways (including one-time online payments).

Steve Jobs tells IBM "We're number one" in 30 year old picture

Earlier on Friday, we told you that Apple was working on a prototype for a touchscreen phone as early as 1983. Also in 1983, Newsweek was ready to do a cover story on Apple's game-changing MacIntosh computer. In December, Steve Jobs and Andy Hertzfeld, one of the original members of the Mac team, flew to the Big Apple (although today it is unsure which Apple is bigger) to meet with Newsweek. The magazine was doing a cover story on the Mac for a January edition.

Nokia 900 a.k.a Ace accidentally pictured on Christmas cards?

One of Microsoft’s partners really got into the Christmas spirit this year by sending out cards with photos of a Nokia handset. At first glance it appeared to be a Nokia Lumia 800, but after closer inspection, it is evident that this device is definitely not an 800; rather it closely resembles the rumored 900 a.k.a the Ace.

Verizon’s $2 ‘Convenience Fee’ has caught the attention of the FCC

After yesterday’s announcement that Verizon will be charging a $2 ‘convenience fee’ to customers who pay their bill online or over the phone, Verizon has attracted more attention than just the hordes of angry tech-bloggers; the FCC has also taken notice.

$35 Android tablet available for students in India

While spoiled brats around the world cried on Twitter last week because they didn’t get an iPad for Christmas, there many people who can’t even fathom the cost of an iPad. That is why a joint venture between London-based DataWind and the Indian Institute of Technology Rajasthan was created to create the Aakash.

Alliance forms among Chinese companies to fight patent trolling from Apple, Microsoft, & Nokia

With China set to outperform the US as the world’s largest smartphone market, international industry tycoons such as Apple, Microsoft, and Nokia are looking to China as their next target for market growth. Chinese handset manufactures are well aware of the tactics typically used by these giants to strong arm their way into a territory and are starting to mount a defense to protect their interests.

Casio G-SHOCK: Let’s you look impatient while keeping tabs on your smartphone activity

Casio’s G-SHOCK watch will utilize the new low-power standards found in Bluetooth 4.0 to connect to your smartphone. The watch can sync to the same time as your phone (handy while traveling), and it will alert you when you have a new email, text message, or an incoming phone call. Just be careful that your boss or date doesn’t think you keep looking at your watch out of boredom.

3, 2, 1... Great Android apps for celebrating New Year's Eve!

Your precious Android smartphone is doing a lot to help you with your daily routines, but you feel like it won't be as involved as usual while you're celebrating the coming of 2012? Fear not, we found some pretty cool apps in the Android Market that will make your phone an indispensable part of this year's celebrations. How about a New Year resolutions tracker? Or a cheerful widget with a built-in countdown timer? It's all below, so read on and enjoy!

Lock Screen Weather for iPhone does what it says with a catch

With iOS 5, heaps of new and much needed features were added to Apple’s mobile platform, but one thing we wish was there - dynamic weather updates straight from your lockscreen - remained something third-party app creators had to do. And the Lock Screen Weather for iPhone does just that for a mere $0.99. 

Amazon giving away a $100 gift card for phones bundled with Hotspot plans

Looking for some last minute Holiday deals? Amazon might be the right place for that as the e-tailer has kicked off a promo giving you a $100 gift card for every Hotspot-capable Android handset you purchase.

Gizmon iCA iPhone Case turns your device into a true camera with interchangeable lenses

By now you’ve probably seen or snapped plenty of pictures with the iPhone 4S and there’s no denying that Apple outdid itself in the camera department. But you’re still holding a phone and getting dumb faces when trying to convince people that it’s nearly as good as a point-and-shoot camera. The Gizmon iCA iPhone case changes the looks of your iPhone to that of a camera, but most importantly adds some nice features and interchangeable tiny lenses to really boost your shooting skills.

Motorola plans to differentiate from other Android makers with a focus on the user experience

Motorola released some of the better Android devices this year - it started the year with the dual-core Motorola Atrix with the unique laptop dock accessory and ended it with the super slim LTE-equipped Motorola Droid RAZR. But as competition tightens up the company needs to do even better in 2012 to differentiate.

Verizon says 4G LTE outage resolved, all other services worked during the outage

Verizon Wireless claims to have the nation’s most reliable network and while it was indeed the first to launch a LTE network, yesterday was the third time the 4G network went down this month. Luckily, 3G data wasn’t affected and the carrier managed to resolve the issues overnight so today LTE is back to operational, Big Red confirmed.

iPhone app BreathalEyes measures your... blood alcohol content

Yes, you read the headline correctly. BreathalEyes is an iPhone app that can measure an individual's blood alcohol content, and it allegedly does a pretty good job at it. How can that be possible you ask? Well, the application takes advantage of a phenomenon known as Horizontal Gaze Nystagmus, which is an involuntary movement of the eyes, and alcohol use is one of the causes for it. All it takes for the trick to be performed is a scan of the subject's eye by using the iPhone's camera. The software should manage to measure BAC within a 0.02% to 0.17% range.

ZTE partners with Fashion TV for the FTV Phone

Now ZTE might not be the first name to come up when speaking about designer phones but the company has collaborated with Fashion TV to change its image and here’s what the end-product looks like: the ZTE FTV Phone. It’s a version of the ZTE Blade also known as the Orange San Francisco, but except for weird looks it has little to offer in terms of both hardware and software.

Elpida starts sampling next-gen RAM for smartphones and tablets

When it comes to RAM chips for mobile devices, Elpida is among the names that you are likely to hear the most. The company's memory modules are being used in devices made by a number of manufacturers, including Apple and Motorola.

Real deal game controller for iOS works with no batteries, can be yours for $50

No, this isn't a controller made for the nex-gen PlayStation or Xbox video game consoles. In fact, what you see is a gaming accessory tailored specifically for iOS devices. Designed by a company called 60beat, it works with the iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

Samsung Galaxy Note shipments reach 1 million as it gears for 2012 US release

The Samsung Galaxy Note is a 5.3-inch beast of a device standing right between a smartphone and a tablet. It’s definitely appealing to some and plain too huge to be a phone for others, but it hardly leaves people indifferent. Is it successful or not? Opinions will vary and only sales will tell the true story. 

Nokia Lumia 710 gets its own spot on the T-Mobile web site, to come with SmartAssist service

If you have your mind set on the Nokia Lumia 710 for T-Mobile, you are probably aware that the smartphone's launch is only two weeks away from today. And another sign reminding us that Nokia's first Windows Phone device bound for the U.S. is nearing its release is that T-Mobile already has it listed on its web page.

Zephyr brings the awesome UI ideas from MeeGo to the iPhone

The MeeGo-based Nokia N9 was far from successful - years of hard work over a new platform with an innovative user interaction model yielded an experimental handset which is not even sold on US carriers. That’s sad because MeeGo really seems to have nailed it with the swiping gestures - this intuitive way to switch between applications and interact with your device makes sense and is very simple.

Now, iOS developer chpwn has done some great worked an managed to get the same gestures on iOS. Chpwn developed a tweak, Zephyr, that allows you to swipe from the sides to switch between applications, and it also adds a nice swipe from the bottom for the multitasking menu. 

“I think this is probably the most efficient way to multitask on the iPhone,” the developer says and it’s hard to argue with that. Zephyr is available on Cydia, so you’d need to have your iOS device jailbroken for it to work.

The price of the application is $2.99, but it comes with the promise of more gestures to be added in the future. Below you’d find a video demonstration of the MeeGo-inspired Zephyr, and a refresher about how Nokia’s Swipe UI works.

source: 9to5Mac

Verizon to charge $2 for monthly bills paid online or over the phone

Starting January 15, every Verizon customer who chooses to pay their monthly bill online or over the phone will be charged a $2 convenience fee for the transaction. That is what becomes evident after examining these spy shots that a source for Droid Life provided. Yes, we know that the amount is not of epic proportions, but it sure is annoying having to pay an extra $24 per year if you have already opted in for a pretty hefty data plan. 

More Apple iPad rumors: High-end and mid-range models coming next month

The latest rumors about the next generation of the Apple iPad seem to stretch the definition of possibility, which is why we caution you to take this information with the proverbial grain of salt. According to DigiTimes, at the MacWorld/iWorld conference on January 26th, Apple will introduce both a high-end tablet called the Apple iPad 3, and a mid-range model, possibly called the Apple iPad 2S. Right off the bat, this seem unlikely since Apple said back in 2008 that it would no longer exhibit products at the conference following the January 2009 show.

App downloads on the Apple iPhone surged 83% in the U.S. last month over last year's total

The number of apps downloaded on the Apple iPhone surged in November by 83% year-over-year. This come's from mobile research firm Fiksu. The Fiksu App Store Competitive Index,which tracks the aggregate volume of the Top 200 free apps in the U.S., came out to 5.65 million downloads daily. This is the first time that the index has crossed 5 million apps per day and is a 15% increase from the previous record of 4.91 million apps daily that was set in October when the Apple iPhone 4S was released.

Fiksu says that the uptick in downloaded apps was expected as each launch of a new iPhone brings a number of first-time Apple iPhone users looking to explore the App Store. Add the number of iPhones that were updated to iOS 5 and you have a strong demand for users to add new apps on their device. Fiksu added that it expects the numbers to rise for this month thanks to a record setting Christmas Day that saw 6.8 million activations of iOS and Android devices combined.

The volume of daily downloads of the Top 200 free apps in the App Store rose to a record in November

Another index created by Fiksu, called the Cost per Loyal User Index tracks the cost required for a developer to obtain a loyal user for a particular app. A loyal user is defined as someone who opens an app at least three times. In the last few months, developers have been spending their marketing dollars wisely as the index has dropped from a peak of $1.64 in September to $1.47 in October and $1.43 in November. To define it, developers spent an average $1.43 per app for each loyal user.

It took developers less money to obtain a loyal user of an app in the last two months

source: Fiksu via AppleInsider

Soon, app to turn iPhone into personal fitness hub

London, Dec 29 : Apple has won the patent for an application that aims to turn the iPhone into a personal hub to help users measure their progress, schedule classes and stay motivated between sessions.

The proposed fitness centre app would be linked to equipment and services at gyms, to allow users to easily monitor their exercise program and book classes or personal training sessions.

Stratfor delays website launch after hack attack

Private intelligence analysis firm Strategic Forecasting Inc., which was attacked by online hackers at the weekend, said in a letter to free subscribers that it has decided to delay the launching of its website by about a week.

The website of Strategic Forecasting, also known as Stratfor, has been offline for several days following the hacking attack.

Alibaba hires US lobbying firm as it eyes Yahoo

Alibaba Group has hired a Washington lobbying firm in a sign that the Chinese e-commerce company would be willing to make a bid for all of Yahoo Inc in the event that talks to unwind their Asian partnership fail.
Japan's Softbank Corp <9984.T>, which owns a 30 percent stake in Alibaba and is a partner in Yahoo Japan <4689.T>, is also listed as an Alibaba affiliate in the disclosure by the lobbying firm, Duberstein Group Inc.

New York Times sends email to millions by mistake

Some 8 million people received emails from the New York Times on Thursday offering a special discount if they would reconsider their decision to cancel their subscriptions.

The trouble is , the offer was supposed to go to only about 300 people who had decided to stop taking home delivery of the newpaper -- it was erroneously sent by a New York Times employee to more than 8 million people on an email marketing list.

Stuxnet weapon has at least 4 cousins -researchers

 The Stuxnet virus that last year damaged Iran's nuclear program was likely one of at least five cyber weapons developed on a single platform whose roots trace back to 2007, according to new research from Russian computer security firm Kaspersky Lab.

Security experts widely believe t hat the United States and Israel were behind Stuxnet, though the two nations have officially declined to comment on the matter.

A Pentagon spokesman on Wednesday declined comment on Kaspersky's research, which did not address who was behind Stuxnet.

U.S. online poker ruling at risk in future administrations

WASHINGTON  - While the Internet poker world salivates at the prospect of its business coming back to life thanks to an Obama administration ruling, a future U.S. president could reverse that decision and send the industry back to the drawing board if it is not codified into law.

Late on Friday, the eve of Christmas weekend, the U.S. Justice Department's Office of Legal Counsel issued a legal opinion stating that the 1961 Wire Act prohibited online betting only for sporting events and contests, not Internet games such as poker or lotteries.

RIM offers hefty discounts on PlayBook in India

TORONTO - BlackBerry maker Research In Motion said on Wednesday it has slashed prices on its PlayBook tablet in India in a move aimed at boosting dismal sales for a device that was briefly considered a potential threat to Apple's iPad.

A spokesman for RIM said it would offer discounts on all three PlayBook models in India until December 31. The promotion reflects similar price cuts offered in North American markets for more than a month.

The company is roughly halving the price of the PlayBook in India, which RIM views as a big growth market. Growing demand for the BlackBerry in many emerging markets has helped offset flagging North American sales of the once-vaunted smartphone.

NYTimes offers discounts in mistaken email gaffe

In today's digital age, it's easy to send out an email by mistake - even for a company that's in the business of communication.

The New York Times thought it was sending an email to a few hundred people who had recently canceled subscriptions, offering them a 50 percent discount for 16 weeks to lure them back.

Running a country? There's an app for that, almost

Britain's government says experts are considering developing a bespoke iPad app that would deliver key data straight to Prime Minister David Cameron's tablet computer.

Italy fines Apple for misleading consumers

Italy's anti-trust authority said on Tuesday it was imposing a 900,000-euro ($1.2-million) fine on US tech giant Apple for misleading consumers on assistance services and guarantees for its products.

Google India unveils new search format for ads

Google India on Tuesday unveiled a new format for media advertisements (ads) to target, pay for and experience video ads on its web search engine.

"The new ads format is designed to ensure users find the information they are looking for and enable advertisers to reach potential customers with the right information," Google India sales head Praveen Sharma said in a statement here.

Samsung, Sharp in LCD price-fixing settlement

South Korea's Samsung, Japan's Sharp and five other Asian firms have agreed to a $553 million settlement for illegally fixing liquid crystal display prices, New York state's attorney general said on Tuesday.

Year of tech, tweets, tablets and telecom (2011 in Retrospect)

The year Steve Jobs died was a busy one for global tech -- the rise of the iPad, the spread of pay-as-you-go cloud services and the turmoil in the smartphone market with iPhone and Android knocking out RIM BlackBerry and Nokia.

The year -- which saw India's first social-network-driven revolution, and an ill-conceived government effort to kill "objectionable" content on Facebook and other social media -- was also a packed one for India's information and communications technology space. Most of the action happened in telecom, with 3G and other milestones. IT crossed a landmark, too. Here are five top tech trends of 2011:

'Spreaders' behind 'Twitter' catalyse mass movements

What is the factor that makes social networks tick and catalyses mass mobilisations in revolutions and protest movements worldwide?

Sony, Samsung wind up LCD joint venture

Japanese electronics giant Sony has agreed to sell its stake in a joint liquid crystal display panel venture in South Korea to its partner Samsung Electronics, the two companies said on Monday.

Smartphones eating into camera sales in US

Smartphones are eating into sales of basic cameras and camcorders in the US, BBC reported citing a market research.

Review: Offline Gmail app good for casual use

Google's new software for using Gmail without an Internet connection comes across as a throwback to an era when we weren't connected all the time and on all sorts of devices, from phones to iPads.

Samsung Galaxy Xcover Review

Introduction:

Although we've heard more than a few stories of smartphones surviving all kinds of abuse – being dropped from a plane, baked in an oven, or ran over by a car, to name a few examples, they are pretty vulnerable devices in general. The Samsung Galaxy Xcover, however, does not want to obey this unwritten rule and stands out with its rugged design and IP67 certification. In plain words, the phone is allegedly resistant to shock, dust, dirt, and submersion in water at up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.

AT&T closes on deal to buy spectrum from Qualcomm for $1.9 billion

Originally, the FCC was reviewing both the $39.9 billion proposed purchase of T-Mobile by AT&T and the latter's $1.9 billion bid for spectrum from Qualcomm together. But when AT&T made the final decision to back out of the T-Mobile purchase, it asked the FCC to make a quick decision on the purchase of the spectrum. Perhaps feeling sorry for the ordeal that AT&T went through, the agency decided to let AT&T make the purchase from Qualcomm.

Motorola DROID 4 appears on Best Buy Mobile's Reward Zone website

Earlier on Wednesday we told you about some audio clips that appeared to be for the Motorola DROID 4 display on the DROIDDOES web site. Of course, the phone is unannounced although speculation is centered around a February 2nd launch at Verizon. Still, the evidence seems to show that if Verizon wanted to, it could launch the phone today. While it doesn't necessarily confirm that the handset is ready for launch, a photo found on the Reward Zone web site for Best Buy Mobile shows the Motorola DROID 4 proudly displaying its 5 row QWERTY keyboard in landscape mode with a bevy of Android models behind it.

HTC adds Verizon and AT&T devices to bootloader unlock tool

HTC is continuing the push forward in its promise to allow bootloaders on all its devices to be unlocked. Yesterday, it added the EVO 4G and myTouch 4G Slide to its bootloader unlocking tool, and today HTCDev posted a note saying that all devices released after September 2011 are now supported by the unlocking tool.

Crazy rumor suggests Samsung Galaxy S III will have a 3D screen

We know how much you all love ridiculous rumors, especially those that suggest a phone that is destined to be mega-popular will be getting an absurdly gimmicky feature, but there are rumors going around now that the Samsung Galaxy S III may have a 3D screen. Don't get us wrong, when 3D is done well, it can be amazing. But, in all of the 3D craze that we've seen over the past couple years, we've seen it done right twice: Avatar and Super Mario 3D Land. Everything else has been nothing more than a gimmick, and with the high number of people who either don't see the 3D effect or are made ill by it, it seems highly unlikely that it will ever catch on as the (price boosting) standard that media companies would like.

EXIF data on photo links it to Samsung GT-I9500, possibly the Samsung Galaxy S III

The EXIF data from a sample photograph indicates that the snapshot could be from the unannounced Samsung Galaxy S III. Yesterday, some specs about the device were printed in  the Korean publication ETNews, including word that the phone will sport a quad-core processor. Samsung recently produced a short teaser video to whet everyone's appetite.

Expert: Apple could get $10 for each Android device sold

Talking with Bloomberg, Kevin Rivette, the managing partner at intellectual property firm 3LP Advisors LLC, says that Apple stands to profit greatly if it were to license its patents to Android manufacturers. Rivette says that if Apple were to license its patents to those producing Android devices instead of suing them, the Cupertino based firm could be in line to receive $10 for each device sold that is powered by Google's open source OS. Unlike Apple, Microsoft has deals worked out with HTC, Samsung, ACER and Viewtronics. Currently, Microsoft receives $5 in licensing payments for each HTC produced Android device that is sold.

Pentagon approves one Android device, still testing iOS

It's just one more sign that BlackBerry is falling fast. Now, the US Pentagon has approved a modified Android device for use in the Department of Defense and is testing iOS devices for use as well. BlackBerry had always been the top choice for all government departments because of security concerns on other platforms, but those days are over. 

Nokia apps section rolling out to Marketplace on Nokia Windows Phones

It seemed inevitable given that many other carriers/manufacturers have pulled together their own app store sections on various platforms, the most notorious example is likely the Verizon section added to the Android Market, and it looks like Nokia is the latest to get a featured section, this time in the Windows Phone Marketplace.

HP tried to sell Palm for $1.2 billion before open sourcing WebOS

One last addendum to the sad tale of what happened to Palm after HP acquired it. According to a source speaking to Venture Beat, HP tried to sell Palm to Facebook for the same $1.2 billion it originally purchased Palm for.

Samsung isn't planning to release the Focus S, or a variant of it, outside of the US?

Call it a rarity, or something else, but it’s not that often that the US is left claiming a top-notch device to itself – especially when there are plenty of devices overseas that never get released stateside. And boy does it feel good to be AT&T customer right now seeing that they have the option of picking up the snazzy Samsung Focus S, which is one of our favorite Windows Phone Mango devices to date.