Latest news

Apple's App Store has an incredible year in 2013, with customers spending more than $10 billion on the service.

In December alone, Apple customers downloaded more than 3 billion apps from the service, generating over $1 billion in just that month. To date, developers have earned over $15 billion from the App Store.

"We'd like to thank our customers for making 2013 the best year ever for the App Store," said Eddy Cue, Apple's senior vice president of Internet Software and Services.

"The lineup of apps for the holiday season was astonishing and we look forward to seeing what developers create in 2014."

The revolutionary App Store offers more than one million apps to iPhone, iPad and iPod touch users in 155 countries around the world, with more than 500,000 native iPad apps available.

App Store customers can choose from an incredible range of apps in 24 categories, including newspapers and magazines offered in Newsstand, games, business, news, sports, health & fitness, travel and kids.

According to a forecast from research group Gartner, more than one billion devices running Android will be sold in 2014.

It is predicting a 26 percent increase over 2013, amounting to over 1.1 billion tablets, phones and other tech gadgets that will be sold running the operating system. China is one of those major sources of growth, though Gartner doesn't see this as particularly good news for Google as devices sold with Android in the country typically have Google services stripped.

"Android has the volume even if you can say Apple still has the value," said Ranjit Atwal, research director at Gartner's Global Forecasting team.

"But the question for Google is how it leverages its huge number of users. Many of the handset owners in emerging markets will have bought low-end phones and won't be buying many apps at this stage. The key for Google is to ensure they upgrade to other mid-tier Android devices."

Sales of devices running iOS and Mac OS will hit 344 million in 2014, according to Gartner, while devices sold running Microsoft's Windows operating systems will hit 360 million - increases of 28 percent and 10 percent respectively.

Toshiba has unveiled its first entry into the growing Chromebook market, featuring a 13.3-inch screen.

The Haswell-driven Chromebook will be available for $279.99 MSRP from February. It features a 13.3-inch diagonal HD TruBrite display with a native 1366 x 768 screen resolution, and weighs just 3.3lb with a 0.8-inch profile.

Under the hood, it packs a Haswell-based Intel Celeron processor plus 2GB of RAM, and a 16GB solid state drive (with 100GB Google Drive storage). It features two USB 3.0 ports, a full-sized HDMI output port, a security lock slot and memory card reader.

For connectivity it supports Bluetooth 4.0 and 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-F. The battery lasts up to 9 hours from a full charge.

"We see great potential in Chrome OS as it offers both consumers and educators a simple and easy-to-use computing experience," said Carl Pinto, vice president of marketing, Toshiba America Information Systems, Inc., Digital Products Division.

"We believe that bringing a more versatile 13-inch model to market will help drive the entire category forward by giving customers an option that opens new doors for productivity, not only for consumers, but also students and educators."

Rovi will demonstrate some new DivX technologies at CES, including High Efficiency Video Coding (HEVC/H.265) streaming in 4K.

DivX plans to host a range of demonstrations of DivX HEVC technology including DivX Live and DivX HEVC UltraHD/4K in collaboration with industry leaders. DivX is also launching updates to DivX 10 and its MainConcept HEVC SDK to enable consumers and professionals to apply the benefits of the latest compression technology to reduce file sizes and create UltraHD/4K content experiences.

DivX 10.1 supports the free creation, playback and streaming of high-quality DivX HEVC video up to 4K. The latest update also adds new pre-defined encoding modes to DivX Converter, a DLNA Controller to DivX Player, and support for offline playback of DivX Plus Streaming content.

During the CES show, DivX will demo live encoding and decoding flow of streaming DivX HEVC UltraHD (4K) video to a set top box. The low power live Ultra HD HEVC encoder is planned to run on the KALRAY MPPA MANYCORE processor and stream to a Bouygues Telecom Bbox set top box service.

HEVC (H.265) promises much better compression rates than AVC/H.264, up to 50 percent in tests, putting it in a great position to drive the switch to 4K streaming.

You can now see what Alienware's first official Steam Machine will look like before it launches this year.

The prototype is certainly small and compact compared to the gaming PC line-up offered under Dell's Alienware brand, but the now-private firm is offering up next to no details about this product ahead of its launch this year, only that its designed with a quiet cooling system and will perform in line with a gaming notebook.

"With the introduction of the X51 system nearly two years ago, Alienware kicked off an evolution of small form factor PC gaming systems designed for every living area," said Frank Azor, Co-Founder and General Manager of Alienware.

"When Valve and Alienware began collaborating on our vision for a PC gaming console several years ago we could clearly see we were on to revolutionizing PC Gaming forever."

Additionally, Dell announced that the Alienware X51 desktop will be available as a Steam Machine in 2014.

Corning Incorporated has announced its new Antimicrobial Corning Gorilla Glass at the Consumer Electronics Show.

Like door handles, counter tops, remote controls and gaming controllers, mobile devices and touch screens can easily accumulate all kinds of microbiology as people use them. In fact, some research into mobile phones would make germaphobes shiver at the nasties that can be found lurking on their expensive devices.

Corning Incorporated is looking to exploit our collective distaste for our microscopic distant cousins with its new Antimicrobial Gorilla Glass. It will inhibit the growth of algae, mold, mildew, fungi, and bacteria with the help of ionic silver, which is incorporated into the glass surface for sustained activity.

"This innovation combines best-in-class antimicrobial function without compromising Gorilla Glass properties. Our specialty glass provides an excellent substrate for engineering antimicrobial and other functional attributes to help expand the capabilities of our Corning Gorilla Glass and address the needs of new markets," said James R. Steiner, senior vice president and general manager, Corning Specialty Materials.

The new glass is being tested by a variety of manufacturers with high volume production demonstrated. There are already solutions in the market for devices and shared-touch surfaces, like antibacterial wipes, but each manufacturer has different advice on their use.

Intel will stop using the McAfee brand name through this year, distancing itself from the brand associated with controversial founder John McAfee.

The chipmaker announced at CES it would be rebranding products as "Intel Security" instead, and that it could take up to a year to make the switch. The McAfee company will survive as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Intel though.

John McAfee's antics probably prompted Intel to rebrand its products. In June 2013, John was featured in a video with instructions on how to remove McAfee Antivirus from your computer. Of course, the video was laced with guns, women, drugs and plenty of profanity, and ended with a permanent uninstall solution delivered with a gun.

What does John feel about this rebranding? He's ecstatic!

"I am now everlastingly grateful to Intel for freeing me from this terrible association with the worst software on the planet. These are not my words, but the words of millions of irate users," he said, reports the BBC News website.

"My elation at Intel's decision is beyond words."

Video: How to Uninstall McAfee Antivirus with John McAfee (CONTENT WARNING!)

LG is showing off its new flexible 77-inch OLED TV at the Consumer Electronics Show.

OLED panels, curved form factor and 4K (UHD) resolution are what seem to be the buzz in the past year as the hype of 3D viewing at home wanes. LG has packed all three into its beautiful 77-inch TV at CES.

You can manually adjust the curvature of the display using the remote control to suit your preferences, which is why LG is describing it as the first "bendable" UHD OLED TV.

"LG's Flexible OLED TV is a product that has to be seen to be believed because it defies description," said H. H. (Hyun-hwoi) Ha President and CEO of LG's Home Entertainment Company.

"What curved is to flat, flexible is to curved. LG continues to lead the evolution of televisions into the next generation."

LG will bring the final product to the U.S. market either in the second half of 2014, or early next year.

Samsung has revealed its 2014 UHD TV line-up at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, including a 105-inch curved set.

The 105-inch curved LCD TV touts a 5120 x 2160 resolution and a 21:9 aspect ratio. The 11 million pixel display is complimented with Samsung's Auto Depth Enhancer technology (exclusive to its curved UHD TV sets only).

It can produce a more immersive experience by examining images to identify areas that are in the background of the shot, and adjusting the contrast to produce a 3D-like effect without glasses.

Samsung's U9000 Series Curved UHD TV sets will be available in 55-, 65- and 78-inch varieties, also touting the Auto Depth Enhancer feature and Samsung's PurColor for superior color expression.


Outside of its curved line-up, Samsung's remaining UHD TV line-up includes a monster 110-inch UHD TV set, as part of its S9 series, and its U8550 Series brings 4K video in 50-, 55-, 60-, 65- and 75-inch packages.

Google's Android operating system will be integrated with vehicles made by Audi, Honda, GM and Hyunda through the new Open Automotive Alliance (OAA).

The Open Automotive Alliance (OAA) is a group consisting of Audi, GM, Google, Honda, Hyundai and NVIDIA with the stated goal of bringing the Android platform to cars throughout 2014 and beyond. The OAA is dedicated to a common platform that will drive innovation, and make technology in the car safer and more intuitive for everyone.

"Millions of people are already familiar with Android and use it everyday," said Sundar Pichai, SVP of Android, Chrome & Apps at Google.

"The expansion of the Android platform into automotive will allow our industry partners to more easily integrate mobile technology into cars and offer drivers a familiar, seamless experience so they can focus on the road."

The first cars with Android integration are expected by the end of 2014, with an open invitation being issued to other car manufacturers to join the OAA.

Website: openautoalliance.net

China has suspended a ban on the sale of foreign video game consoles that was enforced in 2000.

At the time, the Chinese authorities cited possible negative effects on the mental health and well-being of players. Of course, since then consoles have been available at a premium cost through China's enormous black market.

For those unwilling to break the law, PC gaming is more than enough in the $14 billion market.

China's State Council announced the temporary suspension of the sales ban on its website, but did not elaborate on how long console sales will be permitted, or why the ban was lifted now.

Internet cafes in China are frequently packed with online gamers, as PC gaming dominates the market with over a two-thirds share. Browser gaming accounted for 15.4 percent of the market, followed by mobile gaming at 13.5 percent.

The Chinese gaming market grew to 83.17 billion yuan (US$ 13.7 billion) in 2013, up 38 percent from 2012.

Rumored as "PC Plus" over the last month, Intel has confirmed the "Dual OS" platform, meaning there will be computers that will be able to easily switch between Windows and Android in the near future.

Intel says their processors will power PCs with the platform soon, which can switch between the operating systems with just a quick button press.

The company also introduced "Intel Device Protection Technology," a set of ideas that will help Intel-based Android devices to meet enterprise security standards.

Details remain scarce, but the announcement comes just hours after AMD and BlueStacks announced a partnership to use BlueStacks technology to run fullscreen and tabbed Android apps within Windows on new AMD chips designed with ARM processor cores that can run Android code natively.

Amazon has announced new major partnerships with major Hollywood studios and hardware makers to bring 4K Ultra HD to Amazon Instant Video.

Among the new partners are Samsung, Warner Bros., Lionsgate, 20th Century Fox and Discovery and Amazon Studios has promised to shoot all original programming in 4K, as well.

"Customers are excited about the future of 4K and the next evolution of high resolution video. We're working with consumer electronics leaders and Hollywood studios to make that a reality," said Bill Carr, Vice President of Digital Video and Music for Amazon. "There are a number of elements that need to work together to create a true 4K experience for customers--you need great content and compatible devices but you also need a service that can deliver that content to your devices so that it plays beautifully--we're excited about making that a reality."

The studios and companies added: "Warner Bros. is looking forward to working with Amazon as they offer their customers a fantastic 4K home entertainment experience," said Ron Sanders President, Warner Bros. Worldwide Home Entertainment Distribution. "The new 4K Ultra HD displays provide viewers with a superior picture, bringing new life to movies and TV shows, and for content that is not available in 4K, the Ultra HD displays will make every detail of your Blu-ray collection more vivid and crisp compared to standard 1080p screens."

Vizio has announced their first consumer 4K televisions today at CES, the P Series.

The P Series TVs will range in size from 50 to 70 inches and the company says they are "the culmination of advanced picture quality, powerful performance and a beautifully simple Ultra HD experience."

Each of the TVs use Vizio's own custom silicon, a backlight with "64 Active LED Zones" and advanced local dimming, which should lead to excellent picture quality (if they work correctly).

Outside of the 4K devices, the company also revealed "Reference Series" TVs, which are aimed at "custom integrators" and videophiles and have the best picture quality of any Vizio TV, ever, without question. The company says it built the devices after two years of dedicated R&D and they include specialized High Dynamic Range (HDR). The HDR "creates a contrast range with true-to-life intensity, more accurately reproducing the nuances of the picture and revealing fine details found in real scenes." The TVs have a backlight that can hit 800 nits and Vizio also supports the newly announced Dolby Vision technology that allows for such brightness.

Crowdfunded star Pebble made major announcements today, unveiling the second-generation of their smartwatch: the Pebble Steel.

The new watch uses higher-end materials and will use milled stainless steel and Corning Gorilla Glass to protect the face. There are silver steel and black matte versions, and each includes leather bands for those who prefer that look over metal.

Pebble says the new device is based off feedback from 300,000 Pebble users around the world. The original watch sells for $150 and will remain in sale as an "entry-level" model. Customers had complained that the original Pebble face was "too long" so the new model has been shortened while keeping the same physical display space (less bezel).

Specs remain almost exactly the same, including the e-paper display, the battery, the full software and hardware ecosystems, and RAM has been doubled to 8MB. The Pebble app store opens soon, and the company also announced Pandora as a new partner.

The watches cost $250 and you can pre-order now for an early February ship date (stated January 28th ship date was for the first few thousand orders only).