Tablets

HP mum on Windows, flexible on displays

SAN FRANCISCO--Hewlett-Packard mobile evangelist Phil McKinney didn't have much new to say Monday about HP's mobile operating strategy, but did highlight the company's work on new display technology.

McKinney, vice president and chief technology officer for HP's personal systems group, kicked off the MobileBeat 2010 conference with a brief presentation followed by a question-and-answer session in which he reaffirmed the current goal of the personal computing industry: to figure out what the hell people want in a device bigger than a smartphone but smaller than a notebook PC. Now armed with Palm's WebOS operating system … Read more

Opt out of Apple's iAds data collection for iOS 4 devices

Apple has started distributing its iAds advertising content in participating App Store apps using data that has been collected from iTunes accounts and analyzed to customize your consumption experience. If you no longer want Apple to collect your data, opting out is simple.

Apple has partnered with several big-name brands to provide content-based, personalized advertising solutions to your iOS-enabled devices. Apple "uses cookies and other technologies in mobile advertising services to control the number of times you see a given ad, deliver ads that relate to your interests, and measure the effectiveness of ad campaigns."

While opting out … Read more

Update to Apple's MobileMe iDisk App could signal cloud-based iTunes coming soon

In what would have been an otherwise mundane update, Apple has released its MobileMe iDisk App for iOS 4, including support for iPad. The update may hint at possibilities of a cloud-based iTunes in the works.

In the update notes, Apple lists the ability to "play audio from your iDisk while using another app." This is an interesting feature addition for many reasons, but mostly because it could be the first step to establishing a cloud-based streaming media solution for iPhone and iPad users.

If Apple is using iDisk as a test for future plans to launch an &… Read more

LG announces plans for Android-based tablet

LG Electronics plans to release an Android-based tablet computer by the fourth quarter, the company announced Monday.

The South Korea-based company said in a press release that it will use Google's open-source operating system but provided no pricing or technical details. The tablet is part of an upcoming line of about 10 smart devices and smartphones that the company plans to release by year's end, LG said.

The press release stated that the first tablet LG plans to release will be based on the Android operating system. It's unknown whether the new tablet will replace or compete … Read more

How to erase an iPad, iPhone, or iPod Touch

For most people, the idea of having their iPad erased sounds like a nightmare. There are times, however, when it can be handy to wipe all your personal data from an iPad and restore it back to its factory settings.

I know my situation is unique, but as a CNET reviewer, I've had to erase my personal data from our shared test iPad on a weekly basis. It's not to say I don't trust my coworkers, but I feel a little funny having a device floating around the office with my personal e-mail account and Twitter login--not … Read more

Google Voice newbies, start here

Once invitation-only, Google Voice's free telecommunications service for U.S. residents is now available to all. There are so many features, getting started can be confusing for first-timers. We won't walk you through every step--especially since Google has produced some good help files to explain your options--but we will point you in the right direction.

What is Google Voice?

Google Voice is best known for its visual voice mail features. If you miss a call, Google Voice uses computers to transcribe the voice message into text, which it can send to you via SMS or e-mail.

You can … Read more

Apple updates Exchange ActiveSync profile in iOS 4 to combat issues

Users who have been experiencing syncing issues with their Exchange servers after upgrading to Apple's iOS 4 may have a fix in sight. Apple has updated sync profiles in iOS 4 to combat the issues with Exchange ActiveSync. Sync issues in iOS 4 are likely due to relatively low timeout limits for ActiveSync--the default is 30 seconds. Exchangepedia reports that iOS 4 also puts a strain on Exchange Server, which could cause performance issues for Exchange 2010/2007 Client Access servers as well as Gmail, which use Exchange ActiveSync for email access.

The fix offered by Apple increases the … Read more

Easily save Web sites, documents in iTunes for use with iBooks on iOS 4

Have you ever wanted to be able to save a Web site or document you wanted to read later to your iPhone or iPad? Follow these simple steps and take any offline reading you need to get done with you on your iOS device.

This hint requires a Mac using the latest version of iTunes and an iOS 4-compatible device with iBooks 1.1 installed. Once you've completed each step, you will be able to save Web sites, documents, or any other data that any Mac OS X application allows to be printed to PDF directly into iTunes for … Read more

Cisco introduces Cius Android tablet PC

Cisco Systems has hopped on the tablet PC bandwagon with a device of its own that uses Google Android software and is targeted at business customers.

The company announced plans for the new tablet, called the Cisco Cius, during its annual customer conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday. The device, which will only weigh about 1.15 pounds, will sport Cisco's collaboration software that integrates virtual desktop applications with high-definition video.

Specifically, the new device will have front- and rear-facing cameras that record in high definition for video conferencing and a 7-inch high-resolution screen. The device will be integrated … Read more

Digital City 87: live OnLive gameplay, plus the great iPhone vs. Evo debate

This week, things nearly come to blows as the iPhone vs Evo debate continues, with sales numbers and feature lists discussed and (vigorously) debated.

But the big news is our super-hot PC game demo, where we load up the new streaming service OnLive and give it an impressive live on-the-air demo. This may very well be the future of PC gaming.