Behind Apple’s disconcerting news of weak iPhone sales lies a more sobering truth: The tech industry has hit Peak Smartphone, a tipping point when everyone who can afford one already owns one and no breakthroughs are compelling them to upgrade as frequently as they once did. Some manufacturers have boosted prices to keep up profit.…
Why is it so Hard to Text 911?
People can livestream their every move on Facebook and chatter endlessly in group chats. But in most parts of the U.S., they still can’t reach 911 by texting — an especially important service during mass shootings and other catastrophes when a phone call could place someone in danger. Although text-to-911 service is slowly expanding, the…
Behind the Broadcom Deal Block: Rising Telecom Tensions
Behind the U.S. move to block Singapore-based Broadcom’s hostile bid for U.S. chip maker Qualcomm lies a new global struggle for influence over next-generation communications technology — and fears that whoever takes the lead could exploit that advantage for economic gain, theft and espionage. In the Broadcom-Qualcomm deal, the focus is on so-called “5G” wireless technology, which…
Halt and Catch Fire: Battery Woes Go Well Beyond Samsung
NEW YORK (AP) — Samsung’s Note 7 isn’t the only gadget to catch fire thanks to lithium-battery problems, which have afflicted everything from iPhones to Tesla cars to Boeing jetliners. Blame chemistry and the fact that the batteries we rely on for everyday life are prone to leaking and even bursting into flame if damaged, defective or exposed…
Amazon Confirms Local Data Encryption Gone on Fire Tablets
NEW YORK (AP) — Amazon has confirmed it removed the ability to encrypt locally stored data on its Fire tablets, saying that customers weren’t using the service. The change comes as Apple squares off against the FBI over access to an encrypted iPhone. Apple says giving the government access would make all other iPhones more…
AP EXPLAINS: Apple v FBI, is my iPhone safe?
NEW YORK (AP) — On Wednesday, a federal judge ordered Apple Inc. to help the FBI hack into an encrypted iPhone used by Syed Farook, who along with his wife, Tashfeen Malik, killed 14 people in December. Specifically, the government wants Apple to bypass a self-destruct feature that erases the phone’s data after too many…
Report: Holiday Shopping Online Spurred By Mobile Sales
NEW YORK (AP) — It was the year smartphones saved Santa. As expected, numbers out Friday from research firm comScore confirmed mobile shopping, which includes smartphones and tablets, jumped in November and December, spurring on holiday retail sales this year. Online shoppers are increasingly comfortable with shopping on smartphones as screen sizes get larger and shopping…
Last Minute Holiday Shopper? There’s An App for That
ATLANTA (AP) — Procrastinators, rejoice. This year there are more apps and services than ever before to help last-minute shoppers. Apps like Curbside deliver orders directly to the trunk of your car, more retailers are offering incentives to buy online and pick up in store, and Amazon Prime Now and other same-day delivery services have…
AP EXPLAINS: What Are My Options for Mobile Pay?
ATLANTA (AP) — With Wal-Mart Stores Inc. becoming the latest retailer to launch a mobile pay system, there are more places than ever to break out a digital wallet to pay for the things you want. Apple, Rite Aid, Starbucks, KFC and others are now using some form of mobile payment system with a smartphone…
For Some People, the Older the Smartphone, the Better
NEW YORK (AP) — Between splashy launches, lavish new-phone offers (get a free HDTV on activation!) and frequent software updates that slow down your old handset, it sometimes feels like the entire technology industry is pushing you to buy the latest smartphone. Yet some holdouts resist. Take Zak Sommerfield, 35, a software analyst in New…