iPad

Apple is starting to catch up to Samsung Electronics when it comes to smart connected devices, or total sales of desktop PCs, laptops, smartphones, and tablets.

That's according to IDC, which pegged leader Samsung at 21.2 percent of the market for smart connected devices as of the end of 2012, with No. 2 Apple just behind it at 20.3 percent.

Given the premium price on its products, Apple already dominates Samsung from a revenue perspective. Apple captured 30.7 percent of the industry's total revenue, to Samsung's 20.4 percent share.

The smart connected devices … Read more

True story: Attracted by the sounds of Star Wars, my kids wandered over to where I was playing a game on my iPad. "What's that?" they asked. "Star Wars Pinball," I said. "What's pinball?" they replied.

I told them pinball was a game people used to play at the arcade, before video games came along. They said, "Whats an arcade?"

I said an arcade is where kids used to go after school when they got tired of listening to records. All together, now: "What's a record?"… Read more

Alongside its decree to have developers phase out a retired device-tracking technology in their apps, Apple yesterday also set down a rule that requires developers to support its latest devices.

In a notice on its developer site, Apple set a May 1 deadline that will require all new apps and app updates to support the Retina Display and taller, 4-inch display found on the iPhone 5 and latest iPod Touch.

These devices have only been out since September and October, though developers could continue to submit apps designed only for the older, 3.5-inch displays.

The move is the latest … Read more

Out on the road and your iPhone's about to die? Buffalo's Voltissimo rapid charger can fully juice it in 15 minutes.

The Japanese peripherals maker just announced the mobile battery, designed to fire up all kinds of portable devices, from cameras to tablets to Android smartphones, via USB.

Voltissimo comes in two varieties: 8,000mAH and 4,000mAH. The former can fully recharge an iPhone four times before it needs its own recharging, and the latter can do it twice. … Read more

Congrats to Michael F. of Titusville, Fla., for winning an iKit NuCharge case and battery pack for the iPhone 5 in last week's giveaway. How much do you love CNET? This week's prize lets you count the ways.

The winner gets a CNET tote, a CNET GelaSkin for the iPad, a CNET T-shirt, two CNET notepads, and some CNET stickers. That's a whole lot of CNET!

Normally this swagtastic bundle would run you about $65, but you have the chance to get it for free. How do you go about doing that? Like this: … Read more

Secrecy at Apple is alive and well, though there's less of it going on between its hardware and software groups, a new report says.

Citing unnamed sources, The Wall Street Journal says Apple's industrial design team now lets the company's software teams in on plans for future devices earlier than ever before, a process that was once made more secret with the use of "stealth software developers."

The change come some four months after a change within Apple's top ranks that more closely tied Apple's hardware and software teams. Jonathan Ive, who was … Read more

This week, it's all about the specs.

The next iPad Mini and Nexus 7 get release dates, but they'll apparently get something even more awesome: high-res screens. The next Google phone is rumored to do something so crazy that makes both of us go into a frenzy of punning. Oh, and Panasonic is bleeding money. Poor Panasonic.

And rounding out this week's rumors: one Apple analyst is sure that the next iPhone will have a killer feature that will put it ahead of the smartphone pack. What could this killer feature be? Leave us a comment and … Read more

I confess. I sometimes set my iPad on the bathroom counter and watch "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" episodes with closed captions turned on while I take a shower. No, it's not an elegant solution. There's a danger of shower splashing, or knocking it over while toweling off. I should probably be looking into acquiring a Koala Mount instead.

The $20 Koala Mount from Dockem is advertised as "damage-free," meaning you could potentially stick them all over your apartment and still have a good shot at recovering your security deposit when you move out. The Koala works with all iPad generations, even the iPad Mini, as well as several popular Android tablets.… Read more

It's the age-old question, age being relative in this case: Can a tablet take the place of a laptop?

Maybe yes, maybe no. But without an honest-to-goodness keyboard, the answer is a definite no.

The new ClamCase Pro joins the ranks of iPad keyboard/case combos like the Belkin YourType Folio + Keyboard, CruxCase Crux360, and Logitech Ultrathin Keyboard Cover.

In case the name didn't make it abundantly clear, the ClamCase Pro provides a clamshell-style case for your iPad. Open it up and you'll find a decidedly MacBook Air-style keyboard, albeit one that's necessarily a bit narrower. … Read more