devices

To get in the mood for this one, I've put on an old favorite, a deep bass track by Dead Prez. It turns out the song's title, and main refrain--"It's Bigger Than Hip Hop"--applies to the power of music in a very literal sense as well.

The acoustical vibrations that are particularly pervasive in the heavy bass lines of hip-hop penetrate our bodies and can then be captured and stored as electricity to power implanted medical devices. Researchers out of Purdue have built a device, which they are unveiling at the IEEE MEMS conference in Paris … Read more

There's a case to be made for convergence devices, and for merging every product down to just one. The iPad, in many ways, has been that device for me: I travel light, I read or watch movies or play games or surf the Web on it. It's a security blanket and a thin catchall.

Still...I bought a Kindle. … Read more

Though Advanced Micro Devices will not be inside branded ultrabooks, it is making a play for that market. Will consumers care which chipmaker is inside?

The quick answer: yes, if you're price sensitive. "They'll come into a market behind Intel and then do what they do at a lower price," said Deron Kershaw, an analyst at Gap Intelligence.

Ultrabooks are skinny, light laptops that attempt to combine the portability of a tablet with the productivity of a laptop.

How low can AMD-based systems go? "Our...solution will enable a full featured, high-performance user experience well … Read more

Last year Apple managed to get 676 patents awarded to it by the U.S. Patent Office, and 2012 is showing no signs of Apple slowing down. In its latest application, Apple is proposing technology that would control a 3D interface using touch-free motion-based gestures on your iOS device.

The concept of controlling a device with motion is, of course, not a new one. Microsoft's Kinect has proven the technology to not only be practical and applicable, but popular as well. But that technology is for a gaming console connected to your television in the comfort of your home.… Read more

LAS VEGAS--We all want a peek at the future of electronics, and we all like to think that it's just around the corner. Often, it is. But let's not get past ourselves.

If there's one trend we've had enough of here at the 2012 Consumer Electronics Show, it's the "smart" product. Manufacturers can't help but throw the term around to describe virtually any electronic device that can transfer data to another. They also can't resist using the term to describe an improved user experience or new operating system.

I'm here … Read more

Quanta has sued Advanced Micro Devices over a defective chip used in an NEC laptop.

Quanta Computer, the world's largest contract manufacturer of laptop computers, sued AMD for breach of contract, alleging the chipmaker sold defective products, as first reported by Bloomberg.

The suit is centered on the ATI RS600ME, an integrated graphics solution, an AMD spokesperson told CNET. Integrated graphics chips include other circuitry and also act as a chipset, which supports the main central processing unit or CPU.

"AMD and its ATI Technologies Inc. unit sold chips that didn't meet heat tolerances and were unfit … Read more

While tablet sales are passing Intel by, server sales are not, allowing the chipmaker to keep a healthy chunk of the global processor market.

Intel in the third quarter accounted for 83.7 percent of global microprocessor revenue, up about 3 percentage points from the same quarter last year and widening its lead over Advanced Micro Devices, which lost more than a percentage point, according to IHS iSuppli.

"The boom in media tablet sales has...both upsides and downsides for Intel--hurting its business in netbook microprocessors--but boosting its sales of chips used in data centers to support cloud computing,&… Read more

When iOS 5 was released alongside the iPhone 4S earlier this fall, iMessage was introduced as a new, all-encompassing messaging service that would connect all iOS device users for free using their unique Apple IDs. iMessage, however, may have a critical downfall when it comes to securely erasing access if you lose your device.

Since Apple released the Find My iPhone app, users cruising out and about have had a backup plan to keep their minds at ease should they accidentally leave their iPhone at a bar or come across the misfortune of being robbed.

Find My iPhone allows you … Read more

Mobile devices have surpassed magazines and newspapers in grabbing our time each day, says a new study from market researcher eMarketer.

On average, U.S. consumers now spend around an hour every day with their mobile phones, a 30 percent rise from last year.

In contrast, people are spending only 44 minutes a day reading newspapers and magazines, a small drop from last year. But the results stemming back from 2008 show a sharp rise for mobile devices and a steady decline for print publications.

Despite the popularity of mobile devices, people are still spending much more time watching TV … Read more