Faster Forward: March 6, 2011 - March 12, 2011

iPad 2 produces uneven lines

There's definitely a lot of demand for the iPad 2, but lines today are proving that excitement doesn't always equal a line around the block.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 11, 2011; 3:44 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (4)
Categories:  Apple  
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South by Southwest kicks off

South by Southwest, the Austin festival featuring a convergence of music, film and tech, started today. Better known as SXSW or SouthBy, the festival is the place to be for tech start-ups. In the past, the gathering has helped fledgling companies such as Twitter and Foursquare gain a foothold in...

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 11, 2011; 2:49 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
 
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Google introduces click-to-call features

Users with voice plug-in can call from within Gmail.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 11, 2011; 2:26 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Google  
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Finding a new life for your old iPad

The latest model of the iPad drops on Friday, leaving some with a tablet to spare. What can you do with that old iPad? Here are some suggestions.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 11, 2011; 2:08 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (7)
Categories:  Apple  
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Japan: Earthquake shows how bad news travels fast, and first, online

My introduction to the awful news about the earthquake in Japan came not from the radio or the Web, but my phone. As I often do, I woke it up a few minutes after doing the same myself, glanced at my e-mail and then flipped over to the phone's Twitter app.

Then I quickly began reading dozens of updates about an event I wasn't expecting. The first ones had arrived at about 1:30 in the morning EST via retweets from nonstop tech blogger Robert Scoble: "7.9 earthquake strikes northern Japan ... tsunami warning issued" and "wow, that was a crazy earthquake... ran out of the building. 7.9 at epicenter.."

By Rob Pegoraro  | March 11, 2011; 1:17 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
Categories:  Mobile  
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Microsoft confirms "NoDo" delay

Microsoft has confirmed it will be pushing back the release of its "NoDo" update for Windows phones by a couple of weeks.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 11, 2011; 12:12 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Microsoft, Windows  
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Japan Earthquake: Google launches Japanese Quake Person Finder

Google has made it easy to report a missing person or information about a missing person

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 11, 2011; 11:50 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Google  
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iPad shipping time estimates climb

iPad shipping estimates were up to two to three weeks by early today.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 11, 2011; 9:19 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Apple  
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Analysts predict Apple could sell 600,000 iPads today

Apple could sell up to 600,000 iPad 2 tablets by the end of the day, analysts say.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 11, 2011; 9:10 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Apple  
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Poll: Have you bought the iPad 2?

The big day is here. The iPad2 is officially for sale.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 11, 2011; 6:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (11)
Categories:  Apple, Tablets  
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How is Facetime on the iPad 2?

Facetime is one way to take advantage of the iPad 2's new cameras. But how is the video quality?

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 10, 2011; 4:46 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (6)
Categories:  Apple, Gadgets, Tablets  
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Kinect breaks sales record

Well, that was quick. The Kinect has broken the Guinness World Record for the fastest-selling consumer electronics device. The hands-free game controller, which went on sale in November, sold 8 million devices in its first 60 days on sale.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 10, 2011; 4:38 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
Categories:  Gaming, Microsoft  
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Android malware infects security app

Is Google fighting a losing battle against malware? Reports are out that a version of Google's very own Android Market Security Tool has some fishy code in it as well. Security company Symantec, which identified the code, found this version of the app on a third-party Chinese marketplace. The infected version has thus far only shown up on marketplaces in China.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 10, 2011; 4:08 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Android, Google  
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Motorola's Xoom tablet is no iPad -- much less an iPad 2

Apple's iPad 2 arrives in stores tomorrow. Which means that Motorola's Xoom tablet already faced tough odds when it made its own retail debut late last month. But after spending a week and change with this thing, I see a bigger problem: It has trouble holding its own against the current iPad.

By Rob Pegararo  | March 10, 2011; 2:21 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (43)
 
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Rovio, the company behind Angry Birds, raises $42 million from investors

Those Angry Birds are just unstoppable. News came out this morning that Rovio, the company behind Angry Birds, has raised a whopping $42 million from investors.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 10, 2011; 12:46 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Gaming, Mobile  
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iPad 2 Review Roundup

The iPad 2 is a worthy successor to the iPad and keeps Apple ahead of the tablet market. As Daring Fireball's John Gruber, said in his review, "If you didn't like the original iPad, you're not going to like the iPad 2. If you liked the original iPad, you're going...

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 10, 2011; 9:12 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (10)
 
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Apple releases iOS 4.3

Apple has released its latest version of the iOS mobile operating system, iOS 4.3. The update was originally expected to coincide with the launch of the iPad 2 on Friday, March 11.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 9, 2011; 2:53 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
Categories:  Apple  
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Microsoft confirms IE9 launch set for March 14

In a blog post that went up on Wednesday, Microsoft confirmed rumors that it is releasing the next version of its Internet Explorer browser on March 14. The post promises the browser will launch "a more beautiful web."

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 9, 2011; 1:20 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Windows  
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Foursquare offers businesses new 'Specials'

Foursquare, the check-in app that lets everyone know where you are all the time, has added some new features for businesses as it releases its third version, and it's a big update. How big? Think about seeing your face in Times Square.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 9, 2011; 12:54 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
 
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HP to ship all PCs with webOS

All of Hewlett-Packard's PCs will ship with webOS with the capability to dual-boot the company's operating system with Windows, company officials said.

By <author>Hayley Tsukayama</author>  | March 9, 2011; 11:58 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (10)
 
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Will Sprint spell '4G' as 'LTE'? And will T-Mobile help with that rewrite?

print has some decisions to make this year.

First among them: The Overland Park, Kan., carrier needs to choose how it will employ the spectrum freed up by its planned retirement of its Nextel service. Should it stick with its current network architecture or use those frequencies to launch a new 4G service built on the LTE standard endorsed by competitors AT&T, Verizon Wireless and T-Mobile?

By Rob Pegoraro  | March 9, 2011; 10:35 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (4)
Categories:  Mobile, Sprint, T-Mobile, Telecom, Verizon  
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AT&T or Verizon: who has the better data network? Well, it depends

The analytics firm Metrico is the latest to weigh in on the fight to determine whether AT&T or Verizon has the better iPhone. Like many other tests, the findings indicate that each phone has its strengths and weaknesses.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 9, 2011; 10:12 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
Categories:  Mobile  
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Report: Is this a real 64GB iPhone 4?

A Web site called MIC Gadget is claiming to have obtained a real prototype of a 64GB iPhone 4 from the Foxconn factory in China. The phone bears striking similarities to the leaked prototype that Gizmodo bought last year from someone who found the handset in a bar.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 9, 2011; 9:52 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Apple  
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Opera launches mobile app store

Opera opened its mobile app store for business Tuesday morning, serving up programs for the Android, Symbian, BlackBerry, Palm, Symbian and Windows Mobile platforms. The store is a joint effort between Opera and Appia, an e-commerce platform that powers the Samsung, Verizon, T-Mobile and Yahoo app marketplaces, among others. In...

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 8, 2011; 5:34 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
 
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Is Nintendo slipping in the console wars?

In one analyst's opinion, the Wii may be falling behind the PlayStation 3 and the Xbox 360. February sales didn't go so well for Nintendo, according to a memo from Wedbush analyst Michael Pachter. As CNET reported, the analyst said that Nintendo probably sold 305,000 Wii units in the U.S. this February, down 23 percent from the same period last year. When it launched in 2006, the Wii was the fastest-selling console of all time.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 8, 2011; 4:57 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (6)
 
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Google Maps can now steer Android users around traffic

The end of the road for many GPS navigation units got a little closer yesterday when Google added automatic traffic re-routing to the Android version of its Google Maps smartphone program. You shouldn't need a new version of Google Maps for Android; the app should just take note of Google's...

By Rob Pegoraro  | March 8, 2011; 2:59 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (6)
Categories:  Android, Location awareness, Mobile  
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Mark Zuckerberg's dog gets a Facebook page, too

Over the weekend, Facebook co-founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg made news, but not for his usual reasons. The reason the Man of the Year was in the news was because...he got a puppy.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 8, 2011; 2:03 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Facebook  
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Women in tech from Guardian's top 100 list

Today is International Women's Day, and there's been plenty of remembrance for the ladies who have contributed to modern society.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 8, 2011; 12:26 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
 
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Report: Apple iOS 4.3 may drop Tuesday

There's a rumor going around that Apple will release the next version of its iOS Tuesday, instead of its expected release date on Friday to coincide with the first sales of the iPad 2.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 8, 2011; 12:08 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
Categories:  Apple  
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Facebook, Warner Bros. team up for in-network movie rentals

"The Dark Knight" may be a few years old now, but it's getting new life as the first title offered up for rent through a partnership between Warner Bros. and Facebook. For 30 Facebook credits, which converts to about $3, you can watch the movie in your browser. Warner Bros. plans to expand the titles available for rent and purchase in the coming months.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 8, 2011; 10:23 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
Categories:  Facebook, Internet TV, Privacy, Security, Social media  
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Adobe releases Flash to HTML5 converter

Adobe has announced its release of Wallaby, a drag-and-drop tool used to convert the company's Flash files into HTML 5. The program is available to developers through Adobe's Labs Web site. According to the company's release notes for the program, users can view the output file in one of the supported browsers or on an iOS device.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 8, 2011; 9:39 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Apple, Microsoft, Windows  
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Angry Birds, Facebook to team up in May

Initial reports stated that Angry Birds would hit Facebook next month, but Rovio's Peter Vestabacka told the Next Web that the game will hit the site in May. Vestabacka, whose title at Rovio is the Mighty Eagle, said he wasn't sure rumors about an earlier launch date got started.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 8, 2011; 9:34 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Gaming  
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Does your connected life make you lose sleep?

A study from the National Sleep Foundation on the relationship between communications technology and sleep has found that 43 percent of Americans say they rarely or never get a good night's sleep. Nearly 95 percent of those surveyed said that they use some kind of electronic device in the hour...

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 7, 2011; 3:22 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (4)
 
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Sony bumps PSPGo back to $200

The price hike is more than a little baffling.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 7, 2011; 1:08 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (2)
Categories:  Gadgets, Gaming  
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Judge says Sony can see visitors to hacker's site

A judge has said its okay for Sony to get the IP address of every user who has visited a Web site containing a hack for the PlayStation 3.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 7, 2011; 12:04 PM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (7)
Categories:  Gaming, Privacy, Security  
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Google activates 'kill switch' to remove Android malware

Google's response to a bout of Trojan-horse applications targeting its Android operating system shows how much and how little power it exerts over that platform. The key part of Google's latest reaction, announced in a blog post Saturday night by Android security head Rich Cannings, is the remote removal from...

By Rob Pegoraro  | March 7, 2011; 11:04 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (8)
Categories:  Android, Google, Mobile, Security  
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Angry Birds coming to Facebook

Angry Birds, that highly addictive game from Finnish company Rovio, is coming to Facebook next month.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 7, 2011; 10:17 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (3)
Categories:  Gaming  
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Reports conflict over Windows Mango update

There are questions about the next major update, "Mango," which had been expected by the end of 2011. Mango, the first big update from the original Windows Phone 7 software, will enable multitasking.

By Hayley Tsukayama  | March 7, 2011; 9:57 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (0)
Categories:  Microsoft, Windows  
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PostPoints tip: Quick help for Netflix instant viewers

Netflix's "Watch Instantly" streaming-video service makes it fantastically easy to watch movies and TV shows on a wide variety of devices (with sufficiently fast bandwidth and payment of $7.99 a month). But its selection can be more than a tad erratic, between titles that take their time to arrive and...

By Rob Pegoraro  | March 7, 2011; 6:00 AM ET  |  Permalink  |  Comments (1)
Categories:  Tips  
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