Apple has released to developers its iOS 5.1 beta, which is intended to bring several bug fixes to users. However, tech whizzes have already spotted some code within the release that points to several new Apple products that may be coming, specifically the next-generation Apple TV, the next iPhone and two new iPad models. READ MORE
If you’re a retailer you might be interested in a new interactive tablet display that can be used to engage customers in all sorts of ways. Called the i View Android, it can be used to promote products, display specials, let customers play games, register for loyalty programs, give feedback, scan QR codes, print coupons or access Web sites. This video even shows restaurant patrons using it to order from a menu. READ MORE
Which smartphone people prefer depends on many things: design, user experience, applications available, enterprise support and security, camera, cloud services, voice-activated services, and performance issues such as browser speed. Openness–the ability to customize the phone without limitation—is also important to some people. In this regard, Apple and Google sit on opposite ends of the spectrum with Microsoft somewhere in between. READ MORE
With all the credit card numbers flying around online for Cyber Monday, you can bet crooks are trying to grab some of them. Here are a few ways to avoid being scammed: Avoid untrustworthy websites and pop-up screens. It’s best to use a major retail company’s official Web page—such as BestBuy.com or Walmart.com—instead of using online vendors that you don’t recognize. Instead of using other links to get to trusted sites, type web addresses into your browser yourself. And if you suddenly get a pop-up trying to lure you into buying something, be wary. While most security software programs will alert you if you’re about to go to a known dangerous site, make sure this feature is available and turned on before shopping. READ MORE
It looks like Google CEO Larry Page really is putting more wood behind fewer arrows. Google has discontinued Knol, the company’s attempt to recreate Wikipedia in its own ad-supported image, adding to a long list of product funerals the company has held in 2011. According to Information Week, the number tops three dozen if you count not only full-fledged products but features, acquisitions, initiatives, and APIs. READ MORE
An October 2011 study conducted by Conversocial, a London-based software company specializing in social networking, found that many companies are failing to respond to consumer complaints aired online. Specifically, Costco, Kmart and Kroger missed 100% of their consumers’ complaints on social networking sites during September 2011, and Wal-Mart ignored 40% of complaints. Out of the 10 major retailers examined over a five-day period in September, only Safeway excelled by responding to nearly all complaints on its Facebook page. READ MORE
Cyber Monday is Black Friday’s less harried sibling but by all indications will likely have consumers shelling out a record $1.2 billion dollars this year as they storm retail Web sites for deep, Web-only discounts. That’s opposed to the shoving-and-pushing-kind-of-shopping many were engaging in just a few days ago. READ MORE
Up until the iPhone 4S was announced last month, conjecture about its features and functions swirled for months beforehand. Well, the rumor mill is already starting to turn for the iPhone 5, which won’t come out until sometime next year. According to reports from tech industry site DigiTimes, Apple will be adding near-field communications, the technology that enables users to use their iPhones as wallets, to its next-generation iPhone. READ MORE
As Black Friday marched into Small Business Saturday, shoppers continued to brave huge crowds and long lines to score good deals on holiday shopping. And as reports file in from big box retailers it appears that larger—and younger—crowds turned out for one of the biggest sales days of the year. READ MORE
The likelihood of an AT&T and T-Mobile merger appears to be dwindling. On Thursday the companies said they had withdrawn their application to the Federal Communications Commission to join their cellular phone operations. READ MORE
