store

Apple's iPad Mini 'in stock' in several countries' online stores

Supply has finally caught up with demand for Apple's iPad Mini.

Rather than days long lag time for the device, the company's online stores in the U.S., Canada, Australia, and other countries are now showing that all models of the iPad Mini are "in stock" and ready to ship.

Apple's 7-inch tablet went on sale last fall. Its thin and light design is more book-like than the larger iPad, while its cameras, storage capacities, optional LTE antenna, and general functionality are said to offer a full iPad experience.

Since the tablet's launch, the … Read more

Use NFC tags to quickly update your Fitbit activities with FitTap

The biggest issue with any of the activity tracking systems, be it a Fitbit or Jawbone Up, is that some information has to be manually entered by the user. For example, when I'm tracking how much water I drink in a given day, I have to remember to enter it into the Fitbit app, and I'm horrible at it.

When the revamped Fitbit Android app launched last week, I came across another Android app called FitTap. FitTap combines Fitbit activity logging with NFC.

There's two versions of the app, one is free, but requires you to use … Read more

HTC One puts ultrapixels over megapixels

There can only be one CNET Update:

Tuesday's tech news roundup looks into the HTC One, the company's new flagship smartphone. To help HTC stand out again, the One has an aluminum body, a redesigned Sense interface, and an animated photo mode called Zoe. Most notable is the rear camera with 4 megapixels -- but HTC uses the term "ultrapixels" because the photos can pick up more light. Most top smartphones boast 8-megapixel cameras, but HTC says megapixels are a misunderstood metric for consumers. The HTC One will be available in March at AT&T, … Read more

Change your Facebook cover photo using the Android app

Last night, Facebook pushed an update to its Android app that lets users update their cover photo from directly within the app. In the past I had covered an Android app that helped you create a new cover photo, but it required you to use the Web site in order to actually change the photo.

To change your cover photo using the Android app, make sure you're running the latest version of the Facebook app. Pull up your own timeline and tap on your cover photo. You can then select "View Photo" or "Change Cover"; … Read more

Report: Google to open U.S. retail stores later this year

Google plans to open its own retail stores across the United States, according to a new report, giving the increasingly hardware-focused company a place to show off its growing number of physical products.

Citing "an extremely reliable source," 9to5Google says the company "hopes to have the first flagship Google Stores open for the holidays in major metropolitan areas."

The report says Google accelerated plans to build physical stores because customers are unlikely to buy expensive hardware, including the upcoming Google Glass, without first having a chance to try it for free.

Google already has set up … Read more

Apple store forced to change its name

Extraordinarily, Geoff Fisher has never been sued by Apple.

He's used its name for 20 years on the front of his little store. Yet somehow no one has come to his door pretending to be a local policeman -- or even actually being one -- and demanding to search his premises.

This is odd, given that his store is called the Apple Shop. Still, it doesn't sell products made by Apple, but products made from apples -- specifically, cider.

Everything seemed fine for many years. People would come into the store in Wroxham Barns, England, and they would … Read more

Hot calendar app Tempo crushed by demand

Buzzy calendar and scheduling app Tempo, which made a splashy launch yesterday, is recovering after being overrun by new users.

"We are excited but overwhelmed by the demand," Raj Singh, the founder and CEO of Tempo, wrote in a blog post today.

Shortly after the app went live, Tempo was forced to close down new signups, incensing would-be users and leading to a bevy of negative reviews in the App Store.

Singh now says the company is opening up the service to users in batches, and changing how it lets users access certain features. That includes once again … Read more

Shipoopi adds any app to your lock screen on Android 4.2

With lock screen widgets having been introduced in Android 4.2, developers have been looking for ways to take advantage of the new feature in creative ways. Earlier this week a developer e-mailed me with an introduction to his app, Shipoopi, which allows Android users to add a shortcut to any app to the lock screen of a device.

Admittedly, the name of his app, Shipoopi, has nothing to do with what the app actual does, according to Jonathan Dharmaraj, the developer. The simple app, with a name inspired by a "Family Guy" episode (where Peter sings the … Read more

Get started with Mailbox for iOS

Mailbox, a new e-mail client for the iPhone, has launched and it takes a new approach to managing your Inbox. Mailbox wants you to ditch the traditional labels method implemented by Gmail users everywhere. Instead, according to Mailbox, you should be able to snooze and postpone e-mails in your Inbox to take action on them at a later time. The new approach takes some reprogramming of your brain, but it's one some users will find better suited for them.

Get in line!

To accommodate the huge demand and make sure the system will stay running smoothly for all … Read more

Tim Cook goes zen over Apple stores: It's not just about selling, but 'serving'

Even at a company given to the routine deployment of magical superlatives to promote its products and technologies, Tim Cook went out of his way today to describe Apple's stores as leagues beyond anything so mundane as a retail outlet.

"I'm not sure store is even the right word anymore," Cook said in a talk at a Goldman Sachs investor forum in San Francisco. "They've taken on a role much broader than that. They are the face of Apple for almost all of our customers."

Cook offered a uniformly bullish outlook for different … Read more