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U.S. Cellular to sell 'Apple products' this year

Add U.S. Cellular to the ever-growing list of wireless companies selling the iPhone.

The carrier was rather circumspect about the matter in its first-quarter earnings release Friday, saying only that it "will begin offering Apple products later this year." But it would, of course, seem likely that a wireless company that sells devices like Samsung's Galaxy S3 and the HTC One V would also want to offer the iPhone.

Slashgear earlier reported that U.S. Cellular confirmed it will sell the iPhone. We reached out to U.S. Cellular directly and likewise got confirmation of that.… Read more

Pass2U Passbook 1.1 Review

iOS 6's Passbook app made plenty of Android fans jealous when it debuted. The good news is that you actually have plenty of ways to control tickets and loyalty cards on your Android. Pass2U Passbook is made to work just like the Apple Passbook app so many iFans love. This app is a good clone and a great app for travelers or urban explorers.

Pass2U Passbook works with .pkpass files, which is great if you're converting from iOS, but it isn't as ubiquitous on Android. It does cleanly present all of your passes in a stylish, completely … Read more

ZTE Director's got us saying lights, camera, cut

I have nothing against entry-level devices. As long as they work well and are priced reasonably, there's nothing wrong with these handsets for people who don't need to be on the bleeding edge of technology.

But while the ZTE Director is indeed priced inexpensively (without a contract, it's $99.99, but with one, the price drops to 1 cent), it's not a great performer. Its screen can be frustratingly unresponsive, its camera takes washed-out photos, and its processor is sluggish. Frankly put, the ZTE Director is more of a Tommy Wiseau than a Steven Spielberg.

Design … Read more

Sticker collection grows on Facebook, Path

CNET Update dusts off the sticker book:

Social media has gone sticker crazy. Today's video explains Facebook's latest update to messaging and how rival network Path is playing cute-cartoon hardball (or should I say football?)

Also in this tech roundup:

- Twitter is testing ways to tell you what's being tweeted by users near you

- Nintendo releases a major system update to the Wii U

- Android notebooks may be hitting stores, priced as low as $200

- AT&T rolls out home security and monitoring service

- Charity auction for "power meeting" with Apple CEO has bids exceeding $500,000 … Read more

Nintendo's 'major system update' for Wii U available now

A long-promised major software update to Nintendo's Wii U console is now available for download. Nintendo calls it a "major system update," and says the revamped software will offer better performance and faster load times. The sluggish menu system and generally slow system performance have been among the major knocks against Nintendo's latest game console.

The company's official list of features delivered via this software update is as follows (quoting directly from Nintendo's press release)Nintendo Wii U Deluxe Set:

The time required to start the Wii U console, launch built-in applications, exit software … Read more

The 404 1,257: Where we're blank on the inside (podcast)

Leaked from today's 404 episode:

- Virgin America flights allow mile-high flirting.

- Nintendo: Don't expect a big event at E3 this year.

- Next Xbox: Microsoft sets big reveal for May 21.

- Wii outsells Wii U.… Read more

Nintendo: Don't expect a big event at E3 this year

Unlike previous years, Nintendo will not make a major splash at the E3 gaming expo in June.

Speaking to shareholders on Thursday, Nintendo CEO Satoru Iwata confirmed that his company will not hold a major showcase at E3. Instead, his company will focus on smaller presentations centered around its many software titles.

"First, we decided not to host a large-scale presentation targeted at everyone in the international audience where we announce new information as we did in the past," Iwata told investors. "Instead, at the E3 show this year, we are planning to host a few smaller … Read more

Get a Lenovo 13.3-inch ultrabook and 7-inch Android tablet for $549.99

Remember that Lenovo IdeaPad U310 I wrote about a couple weeks ago? Let's talk.

I bought one. It's really, really nice, though battery life proved disappointing. And I found zero value in having a touch screen. In fact, I suspect that battery life would have been better with a non-touch-screen version (as indicated by both CNET and PC World in their reviews of that model).

If you concur, Newegg has the Lenovo IdeaPad U310 13.3-inch ultrabook for $549.99 shipped -- $50 less than I paid for the touch-screen version. And it gets better: You also get … Read more

Nintendo's earnings disappoint as Wii U falls short

Nintendo's profit during its last fiscal year ended March 31 turned out to be half of what the company had expected, thanks to disappointing Wii U sales.

During the 12-month period ended March 31, Nintendo saw sales slide 1.9 percent year-over-year to 635.4 billion yen (about $6.4 billion), off its initial estimate of 670 billion yen. The company's operating loss -- a key measure of performance -- was 36.4 billion yen, substantially higher than the 20 billion yen it expected to post on the year.

The one bit of good news for Nintendo was … Read more