Computers and hardware

Developers working with the iOS platform got a small concession when Apple recently updated the developer agreement.

Apple threw more gas on the fire in its feud with Adobe last month when it quietly updated its developer agreement to say that "Applications that link to Documented APIs through an intermediary translation or compatibility layer or tool are prohibited."

That was widely interpreted to preclude using other platforms that allow developers to make one application that runs on multiple devices--for example, not just on Apple's iPhone, but on its competitors' devices as well. That included, among others, Adobe'… Read more

Best Buy will carry the iPhone 4 starting June 24, the first day of the gadget's availability anywhere, the retailer confirmed Monday.

That means Best Buy joins Apple Stores, AT&T, Radio Shack, and Wal-Mart in being the first to sell the latest iPhone.

Best Buy says it will be offering the same option to preorder the phone as Apple and AT&T. Orders can be placed starting Tuesday, June 15, at any Best Buy Mobile or Best Buy store.

Apple doesn't usually give other retailers first crack at its most highly anticipated products, but this … Read more

A GPS device is only as good as its maps, so you want to make sure that you have the newest, most accurate map data available before you hit the road. This week, we're taking a look at the process of updating the map data on Garmin's Nuvi line of portable navigation devices. In the weeks that follow, we'll be covering how to update devices from TomTom and Magellan, among others.

Updating the maps on your GPS device used to be a complete pain in the butt. You'd have to order your update on CD, DVD, … Read more

As a result of the federal investigation of accounting fraud at Dell, the PC maker said Thursday it will take a $100 million charge on its first quarter 2011 earnings.

Dell and the Securities and Exchange Commission agreed on a settlement, which includes the liability payment and a civil injunctive action against the company. It's a result of Dell's violation of federal securities laws related to its accounting practices and a separate investigation into its relationship with Intel. The $100 million payment will establish a reserve as the SEC and Dell work out the final tally of fines … Read more

Two of the best new and improved features in Photoshop CS5 are the new content-aware fill feature and the overhauled high-dynamic range tools. Available in both Photoshop CS5 basic (Windows | Mac) and Photoshop CS5 Extended (Windows | Mac), the two tools enhance features that Photoshop has already had in ways that make them more useful and easier to use.

In the first video, we cover how to use the content-aware feature to remove both small objects, such as telephone wires, and large objects, such as an entire person.

In the second video, we go over the massive changes made to the … Read more

SAN FRANCISCO--At WWDC Monday there was something amiss besides the overloaded demo-disrupting public Wi-Fi. At the conference for Apple developers, there was not a single mention of the company's core desktop operating system, Mac OS X, nor any hint of when the next version would be coming.

It's very possible the closed-door sessions this week will include a lot of Mac OS talk. It's also possible Apple could give those developers a preview this week or next. Or that Apple could be waiting to host an entirely separate event for the Mac, as it does for the … Read more

Apple CEO Steve Jobs, perhaps the iconic baby boomer executive, is often fond of quoting those other baby boom icons The Beatles. "You and I have memories longer than the road that stretches out ahead," Jobs told Microsoft CEO Bill Gates in a whimsical, shared moment onstage at the D5 conference three years ago.

It's with no shortage of irony that Jobs quoted a lyric from The Beatles, whose albums still can't be found in the voluminous iTunes library, thanks in part to a branding feud with another company called Apple, which owns the rights to … Read more

At an investor conference in New York Thursday, Michael Dell said he has considered taking his company private.

He made the statement in response to a question at a Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. conference, according to several reports. Dell did not explain why or what the motivation for considering selling his company had been.

Apparently, it was a passing thought, because Dell followed up the comment by saying he is "totally committed to continuing to run the business for a long period of time" and that he has "every intention to continue running the company for … Read more

When Hewlett-Packard ponied up $1.2 billion for struggling smartphone maker Palm, the move was widely seen as a quick way for the PC and enterprise services company to get into the burgeoning mobile device market.

Not so, HP CEO Mark Hurd said Wednesday. At the Bank of America Merrill Lynch technology conference, Hurd said his company has broader plans.

He told the audience that HP did not "spend billions of dollars trying to go into the smartphone business; that doesn't in any way make any sense," according to a ZDNet report.