NEW YORK (AP) — It’s difficult to justify paying for a high-priced, top-end smartphone these days — unless, that is, you want to take good pictures. In this Age of Instagram, a great camera is one of the few reasons to pay $650 or more for the latest smartphone, instead of $200 or $300 for…
Companies Experiment with Build-Your-Own Smartphone Programs
NEW YORK (AP) — If you could build your dream smartphone, what would it look like? Now suppose you could put it together yourself. That’s the promise of modular design, a new concept in smartphones that would basically let you snap together different components like Lego blocks. Say you want a great camera. Snap! A…
Facebook’s ‘Like’ Button Gets ‘Angry’ and ‘Sad’ as Friends
NEW YORK (AP) — Facebook’s “like” button isn’t going away, but it’s about to get some company. Facebook has been testing alternatives to “like” in about a half-dozen countries, including Ireland, Spain and Japan. On Wednesday, Facebook started making “haha,” ”angry” and three other responses available in the U.S. and the rest of the world.…
With Its New S7 Phone, Samsung Looks Even More Like Apple
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple and Samsung phones, which have been looking more and more alike over the past few years, are much closer to virtual twins with Samsung’s latest Galaxy S7. The convergence began two years ago when iPhones got larger, mimicking Samsung’s once-innovative, plus-sized “phablets.” Last spring, Samsung started emphasizing higher quality materials and…
Review: Going Offline With Google Maps
ORLANDO, Fla. (AP) — I knew I wouldn’t get real-time traffic information and other features when I opted to rely solely on Google’s offline mapping capabilities for a week in and around Disney World near Orlando, Florida. In fact, Google Maps gave me trouble the moment I tried to leave the airport parking lot. But things got much…
How An End to Phone Discounts Will Help Customers
NEW YORK (AP) — AT&T will no longer offer discounted phones with two-year contracts starting Jan. 8. Before you rush out to beat the deadline, consider that you might be better off paying full price for the phone. That’s because phone companies also reduce the monthly bill for voice, text and data services when you buy…
Review: Ditch Your PC, If You’re Willing to Suffer a Little
NEW YORK (AP) — Plenty of people do all their Facebooking, YouTubing, Web surfing and whatnot on mobile devices. But not everyone. Lots of us still rely on personal computers for plenty of tasks. Take writers, for instance, for whom a physical keyboard is often a must. But the tech industry keeps trying to come…
Apple Maps, Once A Laughingstock, Now Dominates iPhones
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple Maps quickly became the butt of jokes when it debuted in 2012. It overlooked many towns and businesses and misplaced famous landmarks. It marked New York’s Madison Square Garden arena as park space because of the word “Garden.” The service was a rare blunder for a company known for simple, easy-to-use…
Apple Pay Expands As It Vies for Broader Acceptance
NEW YORK (AP) — Apple’s year-old mobile-payments service is expanding to more countries, banks and merchants, as it faces growing competition and some challenges before it becomes as commonplace as plastic cards. Apple Pay is available in Canada starting Tuesday and in Australia on Thursday. Those are two countries where “tap” payments — tapping a phone…
Review: 3 Android Phones that Offer Something Different
NEW YORK (AP) — New Android phones appear with regularity, but far too few of them really seem … new. Sure, cameras keep getting better and phones keep getting faster. For the most part, though, you’d be hard-pressed to single out many new features that aren’t just tweaks for the sake of tweaking. Though manufacturers frequently…