News

Samsung's flagship phone gets smaller cousin: Galaxy S4 Mini

Samsung announced its Galaxy S4 Mini Thursday, a smaller, lower-end cousin of its hot-selling high-end Android phone with a 4.3-inch screen.

The Korean electronics giant has been steadily pushing smartphone sizes larger, but not everyone is ready for a the 5-inch screen of a Galaxy S4. And the new model will ensure Samsung a place in the market for more cost-conscious buyers, though Samsung hasn't yet said how much it will cost or when it will go on sale.

Although the new phone has many of the S4's software features -- tools to take and organize photos, … Read more

Carpool creation site open for business

Launching with an ethos of "Keep it simple," the Group Carpool site is designed around the idea of making it easy for large groups of people to organize drivers and passengers.

James McBryan, programmer of Group Carpool, says he grew frustrated with using Google spreadsheets to match up drivers and passengers for backpacking trips. He set up this new Web application to provide a means of arranging transportation for specific events.

To create a carpool, you don't need to register for an account or log in with Facebook. It merely takes clicking the "Create a carpool&… Read more

AT&T;'s LTE network blankets more than 200 million people

AT&T announced on Wednesday that 11 new markets are seeing the faster data speeds from the carrier's 4G network. What's more, another seven markets are receiving expanded LTE coverage.

The new markets are:

Dover, Del. Leonardtown, Md. Ocean City, Md. Asheville, N.C. Goldsboro, N.C. Salem, Ore. Culpeper, Va. Roanoke, Va. Longview, Wash. Port Townsend-North Whidbey Island-Camano Island, Wash. Shelton, Wash.

As for the expanded markets, the growth is spread out over a half dozen states. They include areas near Chicago, Phoenix, and Washington, D.C.

With the newly expanded 4G LTE coverage, AT&… Read more

Verizon issues major software update to Samsung Galaxy S3

Verizon Wireless has a rather massive software update ready to issue for the Samsung Galaxy S3 smartphone.

Expected to roll out over the next few days, the 129MB file delivers handy features such as multiscreen and multiwindow. Other noteworthy changes include the "Best Shot" camera feature, the ability to bill Google Play apps to a Verizon account, and an option to tag weather, people, and places in photos and video.

Indeed, the software update is not all major improvements and new features; bug fixes and minor tweaks are also found throughout. NFC, for instance, is easier to toggle … Read more

Graphics-related crashes resurface for mid-2010 MacBook Pro systems

A graphics related bug that affected MacBook Pro systems upgraded to OS X 10.7 Lion has resurfaced for a number of people who have upgraded and subsequently updated their systems to Mountain Lion.

When Apple released OS X 10.7 Lion in 2011, a number mid-2010 model MacBook Pro owners found their systems inundated with crashes and graphics-related errors in which the system would show a black screen and freeze, requiring a forced shutdown and restart of the system.

This issue affected a number of people, and because some users were able to overcome the issue with a logic … Read more

Gmail tackles inbox clutter with tabs

CNET Update opens up a tab:

In this episode of Update:

- Avoid e-mail overload with new tabs in Gmail.

- Beautify photos before sharing with the updated Google+ iOS app.

- Choose to log into websites and apps with your Amazon account.

- Weigh the value of a Amazon Prime membership now that its creating five original shows.

- Watch a show and get tweets on the side with the new social app for the Dish Hopper.

- Give BlackBerry keyboard addicts a new fix on June 5, when T-Mobile sells the BlackBerry Q10.

CNET Update delivers the tech … Read more

Does this movie have a bonus scene after the credits? This app knows

If you've seen "Iron Man 3," you know there's a quick bonus scene -- a "stinger" -- at the tail end of the credits. A pretty good one, too.

That's par for the course with Marvel superhero movies, which started the tradition following the first "Iron Man," but what about other films? Is there anything at the end of "Star Trek Into Darkness" worth waiting for? Or "Fast & Furious 6"? Does "Before Midnight" tease the inevitable "Before Nursing Home" post-credits?

Instead of … Read more

Clearwire disparages advisory firm that panned Sprint deal

Clearwire is taking Glass Lewis to task as the proxy advisory firm continues to contest Sprint's acquisition bid, just days before a shareholder vote on the deal.

On Tuesday, Glass Lewis painted Clearwire a bit like a desperate damsel batting its eyelashes at white knight Sprint in its latest report on the offer. But Clearwire says the advisory firm doesn't know what it's talking about.

Its recommendation against the upped $3.40-per-share Sprint offer used "superficial analysis" that "contained numerous inaccuracies," the wireless broadband company said in a statement.

"The report also … Read more

Galaxy S4 Mini could arrive soon

CNET Update is watching the skies:

In this episode of Update:

- Mark your calendars for June 20, when Samsung may show a mini version of the Galaxy S4.

- Kill the Buzz once and for all with help from Google.

- Prepare for a new YouTube app on Windows Phone 8.

- Discover more storage with the Verizon Cloud app.

- Bite your nails over who will win the battle for Hulu.

- Be ready for hurricane season with the NOAA Hi-Def Radar app.

CNET Update delivers the tech news you need in under three minutes. Watch Bridget Carey … 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