Smartphones

Is your cell phone destroying your relationship?

Cell phones are more interesting than people.

They're smarter. They're much quicker on the uptake. And, unlike people, they're far more interactive.

This is because, most of the time, people have their noses pointed toward their cell phones.

Some very sharp minds at Baylor's Hankamer School of Business have researched young people's obsession with their cell phones and declared that the sane development of our youth is being threatened by these gadgets.

Baylor's Dr. James Roberts was quoted by the Daily Mail as offering these dark thoughts: "Mobile phones are a part of … Read more

eBay: Cyber Monday wasn't our biggest mobile day. Dec. 2 was

Turns out that Cyber Monday and Black Friday aren't the biggest online shopping days of the year, at least not for eBay.

The online auction site operator today revealed that Sunday, December 2 was the biggest mobile shopping day ever for eBay Marketplaces in the U.S. and PayPal globally.

That seems to defy conventional wisdom, but eBay says it actually makes a lot of sense.

Steve Yankovich, vice president of mobile at eBay, said that Sunday typically is a "day of relaxation," but because consumers always have their smartphones in hand, it's easy to shop … Read more

Enable swipe-to-delete in Gmail 4.2 on Android

One feature Android users have been asking for in the Gmail app has been the ability to swipe and delete or archive a message. With the release of Gmail 4.2, that's now possible.

By default, the swipe gesture is set to archive or delete a message, depending on whether the message has already been archived. Should you want to change it to always delete (or disable the feature altogether), you'll need to dive into the settings.

To enable swipe-to-delete, make sure you have the latest version of Gmail running on your Android device. After you've updated, … Read more

Mr. Ghost iPhone EMF detector for hunting hauntings

There's a vehicle I often see in my neighborhood with "TAPS" written on it. That stands for "The Albuquerque Paranormal Society." TAPS is known around the area for ghost hunts and tracking paranormal activity, like a homegrown, less governmental version of "The X-Files."

Whether you believe in ghosts or not, it takes a lot of equipment to look for them. Rather than invest in a ton of gear like an electric charge detector, full-spectrum camcorder, night vision goggles, and an EVP mic, you can get started with ghost hunting for a $20 Mr. Ghost pledge on Kickstarter.… Read more

Android 4.1 reaches Samsung Galaxy S3 on AT&T

Android 4.1, aka Jelly Bean, is now spilling out for AT&T customers with Samsung Galaxy S3 phones.

As of today, AT&T subscribers can update their phones using Samsung's Kies software. This method requires users to download the new Android flavor onto their computers and then apply the update to their phones through a sync.

Users can update their phones by following the steps provided on AT&T's Jelly Bean upgrade page. AT&T will not offer the update over the air, so Kies is the only way to get Jelly Bean … Read more

Nexus 4 to be back in stock today in U.K., Germany

Brits and Germans will soon be able to get their hands on an LG Nexus 4 smartphone, with Google releasing more inventory in its Google Play store today.

Users on Reddit posted information and shared images of notices from Google that said they'd be able to order the phone today. And sure enough, Google Play showed the devices were in stock at about 5 p.m. GMT today, or 9 a.m. PT, just as the notice promised.

According to Google's U.K. site, the 8GB version of the phone will ship to buyers in four to five … Read more

iPhone 5 ship time drops to two to four days

iPhone 5 buyers aiming to order the phone online through Apple now face a wait time of only two to four days.

That's a hefty improvement over the three to four weeks originally estimated when the phone was first available through preorders in September. Supply finally started to catch up with demand around mid-November, when the estimate fell to two to three weeks. Since then, the ship time has continued to fall.

Of course, iPhone 5 buyers not far from a physical Apple Store may prefer to shop in person.

Recent analyst surveys of several Apple Stores show no wait time, … Read more

Facebook Android Messenger only needs name, phone number

Facebook today made a few tweaks to its Messenger feature, allowing Android users to create an account with just their name and phone number.

Unlike in the past, people now aren't required to have a Facebook account to access Messenger.

The move is a way for Facebook to reach a bigger audience, attracting people who don't already have Facebook accounts and getting them to gradually use more Facebook services. In addition, it could also become a way to increase the Facebook usage of existing members by giving them a way to communicate via Facebook with friends who aren'… Read more

iPhone 5 snags 100,000 preorders through China Unicom

The iPhone 5 is off to a strong start at its latest carrier.

After kicking off preorders for the new phone early yesterday, China Unicom took in more than 100,000 online reservations by 4 p.m. local time, Chinese news site Sina Tech said today.

China's second-largest carrier will officially launch the iPhone 5 on December 14, following a promise that it would offer the device to its subscribers by year's end.

Some of the early buyers liked the simple reservation process as well as the phone, Sina Tech reported. Customers are asked to fill in their … Read more