TechBlog XXX

Google just released a new Play Store version (4.0.27) that, at first glance, contains only very minor tweaks -- except for one little thing. A new policy change will no longer permit any apps to update without going through the Play Store's internal system. That won't affect most software, but there's a notable exception in Facebook, which recently added auto-downloading to the latest version of its Android app, allowing it to bypass Play. The new policy seems designed to put a stop to that kind of... read more

While Snapdragon 600 is already showing up on various flagship devices like theHTC One, PadFone Infinity, Galaxy S 4, Optimus G Pro and Xiaomi 2S, we're still looking forward to the big daddy of Qualcomm's lineup this year: the Snapdragon 800. At a media event in Beijing earlier today, Senior Product Manager Yufei Wang confirmed that his company's next flagship SoC will enter mass production in late May, but he refused to comment on which upcoming devices will feature it. And due to the current state of... read more

Of course, we all knew this was coming… Q1 2013 marks the first time that smartphones made up the majority of cellphones shipped across the world, according to numbers from industry analystIDC. 216 million handsets with computer-like functionality left factories compared to 419 million total, making up a solid 51.6 percent of the pie. Another trend spotted by the pollster was the emergence of Chinese phone makers, particularly ZTE and Huawei, who've notably displaced Blackberry and Nokia in the top five... read more

It's been a long time coming. Seriously. AT&T first teased us with Digital Life way back in February of last year. Now the home security and automation platform is finally ready for prime time. Starting today customers in the 15 launch markets(Atlanta, Dallas, Chicago, Houston, LA, Miami, SF, Seattle, Austin, Philly, Riverside, St. Louis, Denver, Boulder and the New York/New Jersey metro area) can put in their orders, provided they live in a single-family, detached house. There will be two packages... read more

Just like last year, we're reporting on a revision Sony's making to its expectations for last year's profits, but this time around there's some positive news. According to Sony, selling some of the buildings it owns and a weakening yen have doubled its expected net profit from 20 billion yen announced in February to 40 billion yen ($403 million). The complete results will be announced May 9th, and despite Sony managing its first profit since 2008 investors are hoping to hear how it plans to keep the streak ... read more

Call it a deal, offer or a bargain -- isn't a discount by any name just as sweet? Microsoft seems to think so, and it recently retired Bing Deals in favor of a locally focused newcomer: Bing Offers. Like its predecessor, Offers culls discounts from a number of sources, but rather than pulling deals from all over the web it focuses on group-discount bargains from outfits like Livingsocial, Groupon and Homerun. The aggregator spreads the discounts across the standard categories: food activities, health and... read more

If you're an avid reader of The New York Times, you're probably already familiar with its complex subscription model that ranges in price between $15 and $35 per month. Yes, it's sometimes costly to stay in the loop, but on the upside of thepaywall, company CEO Mark Thompson says that readers will soon find a wider array of content packages, including less expensive options. The move may be necessary, and according to Bloomberg, the CEO painted it as "the single most important thing we're doing in the ... read more

Among the many patent cases currently ongoing between Motorola and Microsoft is one in US District Court in the state of Washington concerning standards-essential WiFi and h.264 patents. AllThingsD reports that while Motorola was requesting billions in royalties for the technology it owns, Judge James Robart -- who invalidated a number of its patent claims a few months ago -- ruled it's entitled to around $1.8 million per year. The reason given? There's so many patents in play, the judge determined that... read more

Whether it's politics or flamboyant music videos, YouTube certainly has a little something for (mostly) everyone on the interwebs. But, if you're a fan of comedy, things are about to get a tad bit better: on May 19th, YouTube's set to launch its own Comedy Week, a first for the Google-owned video giant. As part of the various live streams, online viewers will be able to enjoy "a mix" of stand-up sets, sketches and music shows -- which includes performances by a slew of well-known productions and... read more

If you're an Android user who prefers Viber for VoIP and messaging, you may not want to leave your phone unattended in the near future. Bkav Internet Security has discovered an exploit that will bypass the lock screen on Android phones new and old (including the Nexus 4) as long as pop-up notifications are active. While the exact actions vary from phone to phone, all that's really needed is an incoming message or two, a handful of taps and the back button to reach the home screen. App users can disable... read more