cheaper

At first glance, new numbers released by research firm IDC show that Apple has nothing to worry about regarding its control of the tablet market, but a closer look could raise some doubts.

While Apple is still the world's No. 1 tablet maker, Samsung is No. 2 and growing at a faster rate. Looking specifically at year-over-year growth from first quarter numbers, Apple grew by 65 percent -- not bad. But, Samsung grew by 282 percent, Asus grew by 350 percent, and Amazon grew by 157 percent.

The question is: Is this part and parcel of a bigger problem? … Read more

The Roku 2 XS is currently our pick for best media-streaming solution under $100, but today Netgear looks to stiffen the competition with NeoTV, the company's latest Internet-connected TV add-on for just $80.

Using an HDMI and Wi-Fi (or Ethernet) connection, NeoTV offers up a handful of media channels including the standard Netflix and YouTube portals as well as Vudu, Pandora, Napster, Picasa, Revision 3, and more. Users can also use their iPhone or Android device as a remote control.

We'll have a full review of the NeoTV later this month when it's also set to hit stores. Click through for a quick video demo of NeoTV.… Read more

Is the next iPhone going to be smaller? Bigger? Or maybe cheaper?

"Cheaper" is the latest in a series of confusing and seemingly contradictory rumors about the nature of the next iPhone Apple has in store. Today the New York Times chimed in to say that contrary to a previous report in The Wall Street Journal, the next iPhone is not going to be smaller, but Apple is working on ways to make it cheaper and more accessible for buyers.

Apple is focused on making the iPhone attractive to a larger audience, according to the report. That includes … Read more

As CNET's David Carnoy reported earlier today, the Wall Street Journal is stoking the rumor-mill fire with news that a smaller, cheaper iPhone could ship as soon as this summer.

My take: so what? Sure, I'd love to see an iPhone that's thinner and lighter than the iPhone 4--but let's not fool ourselves into believing it's going to be cheap.

See, much as I'm a fan of discount tech, the price of the iPhone isn't what bugs me. It's a sweet, sophisticated piece of hardware, well worth a couple hundred bucks.

No, … Read more

After Bloomberg last week reported that Apple was working on a smaller, cheaper iPhone, the Wall Street Journal has added some more details to the rumors, suggesting the new, smaller iPhone could be available as soon as this summer.

According to the report, a person who saw a prototype of the new iPhone said the "device was significantly lighter than the iPhone 4 and had an edge-to-edge screen that could be manipulated by touch, as well as a virtual keyboard and voice-based navigation." The source added that the new line of iPhones along with a revamped MobileMe "… Read more

Hey Jeff,

I am a devoted 404 listener and have been thinking about video games and the cost of them based on the amount of gameplay you receive.

I was very sad when say, The Force Unleashed, ended. Yes, you can go back and take two different paths, but I feel like the game was too short. If I went out and bought Fable II when it was new, it would cost the same as this game and just think of how many more hours of gameplay I would have gotten.

Should there be an organization that requires publishers to … Read more