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smartphones

Smashed? Self-breathalyzer uses cops' sensors for accuracy

We've all been there. We're out on the town, had a few drinks, and just wish Siri could tell us if we're over the legal blood alcohol limit for driving.

Of course, given her requisite levels of snark, it might be better to hear it from a voice other than Siri.

An Italian and American company is launching a product today called Floome that it hopes will bridge that dangerous gap between trying to guess if you're safe to drive and finding out later from the professional breathalyzer operated by a police officer that it turns out you weren't.… Read more

EmoPulse bracelet smartphone wants to go beyond smartwatches

From Google Glass to the Pebble smartwatch, wearable tech is where it's at. The curved-screen EmoPulse Smile is a smartphone, smartwatch, and digital companion wrapped into one chunky wrist bracelet. It will be interesting to see if it can successfully get off the ground thanks to an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.

There's no Android versus iOS battle here. The Smile actually runs on Linux. That may put it at a disadvantage as far as app stores go, but it does give EmoPulse leeway to develop a custom system to try to carry out some ambitious features. The company is working on creating a device that learns what movies you like, monitors your sleep, and interacts with you with a personality meant to out-Siri Siri.… Read more

Galaxy S4 Mini may sport dual-core Snapdragon 400 chip

The Galaxy S4 Mini won't be quite as beefy as its bigger brother, at least according to alleged specs leaked online.

Benchmark results reportedly obtained by German blog site All About Samsung show the Mini powered by Qualcomm's dual-core Snapdragon 400 processor. Outfitted with Android 4.2.2 Jelly Bean, the phone will offer a 4.3-inch Super AMOLED display. The Mini will also come with 1.5GB of memory, an 8-megapixel camera in the back, and a 2.1-megapixel camera in the front.

In comparison, Samsung's 5-inch Galaxy S4 is powered by a quad-core Snapdragon 600 processor, … Read more

iPhone users found to spend more time on their handsets

iPhone users in the U.S. average more time on their smartphones than Android users, but they spend less time talking on their handsets than their open-source counterparts, according to a new study released Tuesday.

Overall, the average American adult spends nearly an hour a day on their smartphones, but just a quarter of that time is spent talking, according to Experian Marketing Services research. The findings illustrate the increasing shift of consumer tastes to mobile devices for their information and entertainment.

Voice calling was the most popular single smartphone activity among U.S. users, comprising 26 percent of smartphone … Read more

HTC One Google Edition to be offered in very limited quantities, report says

The HTC One 'Google Edition' smartphone will be sold in very limited quantities when it surfaces later this summer, or so the always-gabby "people familiar with the matter" have told Pocket Lint.

That means that if you were hoping to get your hands on the 'Google Edition' of the popular Android flagship, you'll have to look hard to find it. According to Pocket Lint's sources, HTC will release just "around one percent of total sales of the device so far." And with HTC having announced roughly five million in sales for the HTC One … Read more

Samsung Galaxy S4 Mini to debut at June 20 event -- WSJ

Samsung could take the wraps off the Galaxy S4 Mini at a launch event scheduled for Thursday, June 20.

Citing "a person with knowledge of the matter," The Wall Street Journal said today that the S4 Mini will likely be one of several new products taking the stage at next month's event in London. Announcing the event Monday, Samsung highlighted its Galaxy and Ativ lineup but was mum about which devices would be featured. The Ativ line includes PCs and tablets that run Windows 8, as well as smartphones outfitted with Windows Phone 8.

Samsung may have … Read more

Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 could offer more advanced camera

Samsung's Galaxy Note 3 could see some major enhancements to its onboard camera.

Due out in the second half of 2013, the next Note may sport a 13-megapixel camera with an anti-shake feature designed to capture higher-quality pictures. Citing "industry insiders," Korean site ETNews claims that Samsung's mobile communications team is developing technologies to bring OIS (optical image stabilization) and shutter functions to the Note 3, putting it more on par with traditional digital cameras.

An official from the communications division reportedly told ETNews that "we are pondering various technologies at this stage -- for … Read more

Redditor says Galaxy S3 caught fire, burned his finger

A Reddit poster going by the handle Vizionx1208 says his Galaxy S3 suddenly caught fire recently and burned his finger.

In a post to Reddit on Sunday, the person said that he plugged his Galaxy S3 in to be charged and about an hour later "was awoken by a loud noise and a weird squeaking sound." That he, says, is when all kinds of trouble broke loose.

"So, I woke up, and saw a ton of smoke coming out of my phone -- it also smelled REALLY bad," he wrote. "Half asleep, I jumped out … Read more