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Judge holds himself in contempt for his cell phone

Michigan Judge Raymond Voet doesn't like phones interrupting court proceedings. It's fair enough; court is very serious business, and the last thing you need is someone's wacky ringtone right at the moment of sentencing. Voet, therefore, decided that offenders are liable to be held in contempt and fined, a policy that's stated in a clear sign hanging in Voet's courtroom.

So when, in the middle of court, his own phone started asking him to give it voice commands, he had no choice but to hold himself accountable.

"The prosecutor was in the middle of his closing arguments," Voet, an Ionia County 64-A District Court judge, told ABC News. "He lost his train of thought and looked at me. I felt my face starting to burn red." Voet turned off his phone and allowed the prosecutor to continue. During a break in proceedings, however, he fined himself the $25. … Read more

Add a Web shortcut to the BlackBerry 10 home screen

Adding a shortcut to your favorite Web site is a convenient way to quickly access information while on the go. The ability to add home-screen shortcuts isn't a new feature by any means -- smartphones have had this capability for quite some time -- but it's still good to see it present in BlackBerry 10.

To add a shortcut to your favorite Web site on a BlackBerry 10 device, launch the browser and navigate to the Web site you'd like to add. Once the page has loaded, tap on the menu icon and select "Add to … Read more

Add shortcuts to Google services with Black Menu for Chrome

Depending on the version of Chrome you're using, you may have noticed some changes to the black navigation bar along the top of the Google homepage. For some, the bar is still there, and for others, it has completely disappeared. One developer decided to make his own navigation menu, and luckily you can use it too.

Black Menu, by Carlos Jeurissen, is a Chrome extension that adds quick links to all of the popular Google services, like Gmail, Maps, Drive, YouTube, among others. Instead of waiting for Google to decide if the navigation bar will stay or go, … Read more

BlackBerry to ask for probe into report on Z10 returns

BlackBerry plans to ask U.S. and Canadian regulators to probe a report about high return rates for the company's flagship Z10 smartphone, calling the comments "false and misleading."

The Canadian company said that within the next several days, it will formally ask the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission and the Ontario Securities Commission to review a report from research and investment firm Detwiler Fenton that claims there have been "unusually high" return rates for the recently released device.

BlackBerry Chief Legal Officer Steve Zipperstein said in a statement:

These materially false and misleading … Read more

BlackBerry is the phone people want least, survey says

Me, I'd never buy Birkenstocks.

"I am a prehistoric intellectual" is just not a message I want to send.

Everyone has their peculiar aversions to certain brands, people, and practices. So, in an interesting psychological twist, Raymond James' research arm decided to ask people which cell phones were, to them, the least attractive.

Yes, which cell phones would you rather shave your head bald, pierce both eyebrows and one bottom cheek, and walk through a freezing garden naked than buy?

I am grateful to AllThingsD for not having an aversion to this survey, one which offered severe … Read more

BlackBerry denies abnormally high return rate for Z10 phone

No, BlackBerry Z10 sales aren't falling off a cliff.

BlackBerry shares took a hit today after a few analysts criticized the tepid launch of the Z10 phone in the U.S., with one analyst claiming that the return rate was higher than the sales rate. Another said sales have dropped significantly at carrier stores.

BlackBerry, however, denied the claim, calling it "absolutely false." The company said the return rates in the U.S. and around the world have been in line or better than its internal expectations, as well as consistent with the return rates for other … Read more

Use either volume button as a shutter release on BlackBerry 10

One of the smaller features I have appreciated in the iPhone's camera app has been the volume up key acting as a shutter release. Instead of tapping on a digital button, pressing the volume up key will snap a pic.

When I first launched the Camera app on the BlackBerry Z10, I instinctively pressed the volume up button and to my surprise it snapped a pic. The normal method for taking a picture on BlackBerry 10 requires you to tap anywhere on the screen. But with either volume key acting as a shutter release, you can avoid tapping on … Read more

BlackBerry Q10 coming to Canada April 30

Loyal BlackBerry keyboard addicts may not have long to wait. Reportedly, a leaked memo from Canadian carrier Rogers pins the launch date for BlackBerry's Q10 phone as April 30. … Read more

App market soars with 13.4 billion downloads in Q1 2013

As people around the world become increasingly more reliant on their mobile devices, the app market continues to grow. New research from market analyst firm Canalys shows that the top four app stores hit 13.4 billion downloads worldwide in the first quarter of 2013. This is an 11 percent increase over all of 2012 combined.

"Apps have had a huge impact on the way consumers use mobile devices, what they value, and what they expect from smart phones and tablets," Canalys chief analyst for analytics Adam Daum said in a statement. "They are now central to … Read more