touch

How to purchase movie tickets using Siri

Apple has released iOS 6.1 for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users. Among other fixes and new additions is the ability to purchase movie tickets using Siri, as originally reported back in November.

Siri's new capability requires iOS 6.1, the Fandango app to be installed on the iOS device, and you'll also need to be in the U.S. to purchase tickets.

Once you have updated your device and have Fandango installed, buying tickets is as simple as launching Siri and asking for tickets to a specific movie time, or asking for a list of movies … Read more

Eating your own, Microsoft style

Eat your own, or somebody else will. That's the new mantra in the device world.

Here's what Apple said this week on that topic.

In terms of cannibalization and how we think about this, I see cannibalization as a huge opportunity for us. One, our base philosophy is to never fear cannibalization. If we do, somebody else will just cannibalize it and so we never fear it. --Tim Cook.

This was said in response to an analyst's question during the company's first-quarter earnings conference call. Earlier in the call, Apple, in its prepared remarks, said that … Read more

Microsoft: We're going to broaden Surface lineup

During Microsoft's second-quarter earnings conference call today, the company's chief financial officer reiterated that the lineup of Surface devices will expand.

After Microsoft reported reported earning today, Chief Financial Officer Peter Klein spoke about future Surface products -- though he was mum about specifics.

"We had limited distribution this quarter in our stores and we're excited about expanding that [distribution]," he said, responding to an analyst's question.

"We're going to expand geographically, we're going to expand the product lineup, we're going to expand retail distribution and capacity," he said, … Read more

Get rid of the recent recipients list in Mail on iOS

When I started using the first iPhone, one of the biggest annoyances I can remember was the inability to delete the recently e-mailed list in the Mail app. If I had e-mailed someone on Craigslist, or replied to a newsletter to unsubscribe, the e-mail address was then stored on my iPhone indefinitely. Every time I began to compose an e-mail by entering a recipient, I would have to look at the recent list, full of e-mail addresses I'd never need again.

The only way to reset the recent list at that time was to restore your iPhone and set … Read more

Toshiba's fast, familiar Windows 8 all-in-one

Toshiba is best known for its laptops, but after entering the U.S. desktop market in 2011, the company has put out straightforward, attractive all-in-one PCs at a steady cadence. The $1,399 LX835-D3380 is no exception, offering a safe, fast, and slightly more expensive entry point to Windows 8.

The difficulty for Toshiba, and for every all-in-one in this price range, is the Dell XPS One 27, the $1,399 version of which has slower components than the Toshiba and no touch capability, but comes with a 27-inch, 2,560x1,440-pixel-resolution display. The Toshiba's 23-inch, 1,920x1,080-pixel … Read more

HP Elitebook Folio 9470m review: Touchless

Windows 8 in a business laptop: well, it needed to happen sooner or later, but in the case of the Elitebook Folio 9470m, the execution feels premature and expensive. It's a shame, because the 9470m is a direct descendent of last year's HP Folio 13 ultrabook, a device I considered at the time to be among the best in its class and recommended to everybody.

A lot has changed in a year. Thin ultrabooks have given way to touch-screen, often convertible/tablet devices. And among ultrabooks, there are tons more to choose from. Touch isn't necessary to … Read more

Microsoft Surface Pro hits U.S. and Canada on Feb. 9

Microsoft has finally put a launch date on the Surface Pro.

The full Windows 8 tablet, which made its behind-the-scenes debut in Las Vegas during CES, has been awaited since last year's Los Angeles Surface event. Originally expected in late January and 90 days after the launch of the Surface RT on October 26, the launch window has shifted a little. Still, it's on its way in two weeks. Panos Panay, Microsoft Surface general manager, made the announcement this morning.

The Surface Pro has a Core i5 or Core i7 Intel processor and either 64GB or 128GB of … Read more

The 404 1,191: Where you had me at Hello Touch (podcast)

It's my birthday today and Jeff is still making me write the blog for today's episode, but I'm fine with that because today is an exceptional show. Not just because Richard "Gems" Peterson lived up to his nickname on two occasions, but also because the stories are exceptionally strange.

First we'll look at how cheaters in Japan are getting away with their infidelity with the help of an older Fujitsu phone, simply because of a layer of stealth security that gives users privacy that would make the Ethan Hunts and James Bonds of the world jealous.

Not that we're suggesting you take tomorrow off and cheat on your spouse, but at least the misstep that leads to you getting caught will be your fault, not technology's.… Read more

Hisense teases sexy transparent screens for commercial use

LAS VEGAS--Digital signage could vastly change in the next decade, especially if companies such as Hisense get marketers to sign on with transparent display technology.

One Hisense display, as seen above, adds 3D to a traditional transparent LCD. The demo illustrates how a real estate company could show off a real-life model town behind the LCD screen, while 3D video (passive glasses required) plays on-screen to show off some of the town's properties for sale.… Read more