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With newer technologies such as Android and more recently Glass, the scope of Google I/O has expanded dramatically since the first show in 2008. But Google, born on the Web, is keeping the browser at the heart of the show.

Five years ago, Google wanted to advance what Web-based software could do. The company could take steps such as improving interfaces to its own online services so developers could build better sites, and it promoted the Gears browser plug-in designed to beef up browser abilities with features like offline app support and the ability.

Two things make that different … Read more

Google's hotly anticipated annual developer conference will kick off in just a couple days in San Francisco. And conference-goers and Android fans are excited about the possibility of new products the company may announce and/or give away.

But Android fans may be a bit disappointed if their expectation is brand new hardware. While the 2012 Google I/O conference saw the introduction of the new $199 Nexus 7 seven-inch tablet and the Nexus Q streaming media hub, the 2013 conference is likely to feature no brand new Android hardware. Instead, it's likely that Google will refresh some … Read more

"Are you still jumping out of windows in expensive clothes?" asks Tom Waits in his song, "Who are you?"

It would be beyond surprising to see Google fling more of its hardware out of low-flying dirigibles, strapped to wingsuits and courageous stuntmen, at this year's Google I/O, which begins on Wednesday.

But make no mistake: Google knows exactly "who" it is, and it's taking the confidence earned from a year of solid hits and few misses, and a strong first quarter of 2013, to define the parameters that it wants other … Read more

Google set a pretty high standard of what I'll call "wow-ness" with last year's introduction of Google Glass to the world at its annual developers' conference, Google I/O. Glass-wearing stunt people took the brand new device skydiving, rappelling down the side of San Francisco's Moscone Center, and mountain biking through the crowds inside the conference center.

Can Google I/O 2013 possibly contain more wow-ness than that?

A year later, Glass is now in the wild, so it's always possible Google could have some new apps, features, and use cases it plans to … Read more

Apple receives so many police demands to decrypt seized iPhones that it has created a "waiting list" to handle the deluge of requests, CNET has learned.

Court documents show that federal agents were so stymied by the encrypted iPhone 4S of a Kentucky man accused of distributing crack cocaine that they turned to Apple for decryption help last year.

An agent at the ATF, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, "contacted Apple to obtain assistance in unlocking the device," U.S. District Judge Karen Caldwell wrote in a recent opinion. But, she wrote, … Read more

With Google's I/O developer conference just a week away, all eyes are on the company's plans for the next version of Android.

For much of the last year we expected to see Android 5.0 Key Lime Pie. After all, leaked slides from a January Qualcomm presentation showed a midyear debut for this next build, but they were immediately pulled from the Web site.

But now, recent rumors suggest that we might actually see the debut of 4.3 Jelly Bean instead of Android 5.0. Details found in various server logs show that a JWR23B build … Read more

Apple's next mobile operating system is showing up increasingly in Web traffic logs ahead of its public debut.

That's according to Onswipe, a startup that makes Web sites more touch-friendly for tablets and smartphones. The company tells TechCrunch the testers running the yet-to-be-released version of the software made up nearly a quarter of people visiting sites that used Onswipe's technology last week.

In a follow-up report, Macrumors says it too has noticed a bump in devices running iOS 7 that are visiting its site.

It's not unusual for future versions of Apple's software to get … Read more

My friend is convinced that the slowing of his iPhone 4S is part of a vast Apple conspiracy. I'm not completely persuaded.

I mean, sure Apple has sent out updates to iOS that are arguably a step in the wrong direction, like that whole Apple Maps fiasco. But I believe the main culprit for decreasing smartphone performance (from any phone) is software cruft. Sometimes, you just have to do a little housekeeping.

So here's what I suggest. First, take a minute to get rid of any bulky apps you never use. Dive in to Settings>General>… Read more

Apple released an iOS update on Thursday, though it's a tiny change.

iOS 6.1.4, which appears to be available only for the iPhone 5, updates the "audio profile for speakerphone."

The software weighs in at 11.5MB and is available by way of the over-the-air iOS software update tool, and in iTunes.

Apple's last iOS update was 6.1.3, back in March. That update fixed a lock screen security bug and improved some Apple Maps features for users in Japan.