This is easily one of the coolest things I’ve seen in a long time. Did you know that you don’t need an engineering background to manipulate hardware or create simple gadgets? If components were simply pre-fab building blocks that snap together — like an electronic equivalent of Legos — then you wouldn’t need classes in

Oracle, a company that specializes in enterprise software products — particularly database management systems — once considered entering the smartphone market to compete directly with Android. In fact, according to the company’s CEO, Larry Ellison, Oracle at one point contemplated the purchase of Research In Motion or Palm, but ultimately decided it was a “bad

Verizon Wireless on Tuesday announced that it is activating its 4G LTE network in 27 new markets on April 19th and expanding existing network coverage in 44 markets. The carrier said it will activate 4G LTE services in: Auburn and Tuscaloosa, Ala.; Pine Bluff, Siloam Springs and Van Buren, Ark.; Visalia/Porterville, Calif.; Fort Walton Beach

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) imposed a $25,000 fine on Google recently for impeding a U.S. investigation. The search giant has been tangled in a legal mess with regulators after it admitted to collecting personal data without permission from unencrypted Wi-Fi connections while it was taking photos for its Street View project. Google purposely chose

The FCC on Monday released a document in which it proposes to fine T-Mobile USA for $819,000. The government body said that T-Mobile USA violated specific sections of the FCC’s rules that require U.S. wireless carriers to offer a specific number of phones that are compatible with hearing aids. “We further find that this apparent

Sprint recently announced several of its first 4G LTE networks and, while this is good news for customers, many may be frustrated that the carrier is releasing 4G LTE devices before its network has a larger footprint. We have good news, however. We have received internal intel revealing that Sprint’s Network Vision deployment is further

Best Buy has now finalized the list of the 50 stores it plans to close this year to try to right its balance sheet. On March 29 Best Buy announced it would be closing 50 stores this year.  Up until now the details have not been released, but we now know the full list of

A recent survey by Polk shows that only 35% of hybrid owners end up buying another hybrid/electric vehicle when it’s time to shop again. Returning buyers vary when it comes to brand. 41% of former Toyota Hybrid owners purchased a new hybrid from any brand while just under 20% of former Honda Hybrid owners purchased

If you weren’t one of the lucky million who registered for website Pottermore during its initial limited release, now’s your chance. The one-stop-shop for everything Harry Potter announced on Saturday that registration is now open to all Muggles around the world, including the Buffalo herd. The site warns demand may be high over the coming

As if we needed more evidence of the HTC One S’ impending arrival on T-Mobile, dummy units (images below) have apparently shown up at some of the carrier’s retail stores, suggesting a launch is just on the horizon. As TmoNews points out, dummy units typically mean the device’s arrival is a “week or so” away,

Things are looking up for PC users! And by that, we mean bigger and sharper. A couple of months back, we told you that the average monitor size had increased 3 inches in just 4 years and that multi-display setups were becoming more popular. Now comes word that resolutions are starting to catch up: today, StatCounter

There’s nothing like a well-made infographic. It’s like charts and tables got together and had a baby, and somehow the kid turned out to be a creative, artistic genius. I don’t know who first came up with this visually compelling way to deliver loads of information, but one thing’s for sure: There is definitely a

Nearly a year after Apple filed a motion to intervene on behalf of numerous iOS developers in a patent case with Lodsys, a federal judge on Thursday gave Apple the go-ahead to get involved. The decision gives the Cupertino-based company freedom to participate in the proceedings if it so chooses, as long as Apple is

Are you familiar with the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act? If you goof around on your work computer, you should be. This archaic law — which was written in ridiculously broad terms — could’ve made you a felon just for playing Angry Birds, watching ESPN highlights or vid chatting with your air-guitar buddy on your

Sophos, a mobile security firm, recently published an article warning mobile users that there’s a version of Angry Birds Space floating around unofficial app stores that will infect its user’s phone with a Trojan virus. “The Trojan horse, which Sophos detects as Andr/KongFu-L, appears to be a fully-functional version of the popular smartphone game, but uses

Verizon Wireless recently announced that it will expand its 4G LTE footprint in eight markets in the coming weeks, including in Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Monterey, Sacramento, Salinas and San Francisco Bay area, Caliofirnia and Reno, Nevada. The carrier also said that it will launch 4G LTE in Salisbury, Maryland on April 19th. The carrier has

A new report from Jefferies suggests that Verizon and AT&T both regularly see a drop in phone sales just before and after a new iPhone launches. The trends are clearly visible in the chart above. Note the sharp decline in sales before the iPhone 3G launch on July 11th, 2008, for example, and the decline

Apple and RIM are being taken to court by a Texas company known as Touchscreen Gestures over basic smartphone touchscreen technology such as drag, tap and scroll. Both companies are being accused of using the technology in devices such as the iPhone, iPad and BlackBerry PlayBook. The patents in question were originally issued to Taiwanese

A new report has surfaced that the departure of Best Buy CEO Brian Dunn may not have been a result of the weak financial state of the company after all. It was announced on Tuesday that Brian Dunn was stepping down from the role of CEO at Best Buy after 28 years with the company,

Verizon Wireless said Wednesday that customers who upgrade to a new two-year contract will be required to cough up an additional $30 “upgrade fee” beginning on April 22nd. Verizon says the fee will help it to ensure a high level of customer service and allow it to continue offering its Wireless Workshops. We’re not so

This one blew the top of my head off, and I don’t throw that comment around lightly. It begins with two simple tenets: (1) Technological advancements have doubled our computing power every 1.5 years since the ’70s, and (2) the electrical efficiency of modern technologies has also been doubling at the same rate (i.e., by

According to Chinese site VR-Zone, NVIDIA is reportedly preparing a brand new chip designed to address one of Tegra 3′s biggest omissions: the lack of LTE support. We would’ve loved to have seen a Tegra 3 device like the HTC One X support LTE here in the states, but unfortunately the handset will only be

You might be wondering when Sprint plans to take its new LTE network live, now that it has already announced its third 4G LTE smartphone. What if we were to tell you that some of the Now Network’s new 4G LTE setup has already been activated? The Wallstreet Journal cites that an unnamed spokeswoman for Sprint

Brian Dunn has announced that he is resigning from the position of CEO of Best Buy and is also stepping down from the board of directors. Following an announcement in late March that Best Buy would be closing 50 stores and cutting 400 jobs, Brian Dunn has announced that he is leaving his role as

Carriers in the United States have joined forces with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and police departments in an effort to combat cellphone theft. They will soon begin employing a national database that will be used to track stolen smartphones and prevent them from connecting to cell networks. The idea may sound familiar to some