Ray Willington
Opinions and content posted by HotHardware contributors are their own.
Recent posts
Samsung's Galaxy S II was first introduced to the world at Mobile World Congress 2011, and despite the fact that quite a few smartphones have shipped in the months between then and now, Samsung's top-tier smartphone remains a favorite across the globe. In fact, it hasn't even shipped to America yet. With a potent dual-core 1.2GHz processor,...
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The mapping/navigation situation on iOS isn't exactly in the best of shape. The Maps app on iPhone doesn't provide turn by turn navigation, so users have to turn to a third-party service to do so, whic is hardly elegant. Now, Garmin -- one...
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Think Skype has the VoIP calling business on lock? Think again. Google is quietly moving in on Skype's turf, and while users have long been able to call others from within Gmail, Google's making it even more attractive this week: the company has announced that the service is now...
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For Americans, traveling to Europe can be expensive. The plane ticket usually isn't the killer, but rather the international data roaming: at around $5 per MB, just checking email a few times could leave a traveler with quite a shocking bill. While travelers can purchase European SIM cards...
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Wireless power, as has been said many times over, is pretty much the Holy Grail of consumer electronics. There now exists wireless Internet, wireless content streaming, wireless audio and wireless calling, but wireless power remains a pipe dream in all but a few, small cases.Regardless of...
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With HTML5 grabbing a massive amount of support right out of the gate (and Flash still not being supported on the world's hottest selling tablet), there was speculation that Adobe would jump onto something new in time. Now, the company is unveiling an early preview of a new HTML5 web motion...
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Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile have announced that stores are now offering the high-end Android 2.3 Nexus S for absolutely nothing on three different U.S. carriers, so long as customers sign a new two-year agreement. It's available on AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile, and will be offered free as a...
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Rather than using cash or a typical credit card, many tech-savvy consumers are relying on something very different to make payments these days: contactless payment solutions. While NFC has grabbed the lion's share of the hype surrounding...
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It should come as no big surprise to hear that GameStop is starting up a program to sell digital versions of games at physical B&M stores. That's right: digital copies of games, at stores. Why such a mishmash? While customers could...
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Redbox, the DVD rental box service that's sweeping the nation, has just reached 1.5 billion DVD and Blu-ray Disc rentals. That's a pretty staggering number. The company launched their service in 2004, which means it only took 7 years to reach the milestone. Furthermore, they've also rented...
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Sad news that Nokia has fallen from #1 to #3 in smartphone sales, which is something that most intelligent analysts would have said was impossible just five or six years ago. When Apple introduced the iPhone in 2007, and Google delivered Android shortly after, things changed dramatically...
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Can there be too much security? If looking at America's airports, the answer is probably "yes," but if when considering online activities, the answer is probably "no." Google security engineers understand that, as they've had their fair share of security backlashes the past few years. A few...
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Today, TiVo announced a partnership with Best Buy's in-house label Insignia to ship a Connected TV with TiVo. That's right; an Insignia TV with TiVo technology within. Pretty crazy to see that name instead of Sony or Samsung or LG, but Best Buy has some pretty serious pull in the supply chain...
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When Google announced their intentions to snap up ITA, many suspected that they would tap into their Google Maps universe in order to make searching for hotels a lot easier. Now, Google has introduced Hotel Finder, which is launching now not even as a Beta, but as an Experiment. Just punch in...
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New headphones? From Razer? Now, that's no surprise these days, as the company is quickly becoming the go-to rival for Turtle Beach in the gaming headset department. The latest set, the Electra, aren't as fancy as some of the company's other headset offerings, but they are great for gamers on...
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Leica cameras look good on their own. Really good, in fact: a horde of camera companies have tried to sneak small design influences from Leica into their own gear, and while the company's kit is obviously about as expensive as it gets...
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Zinio has just upgraded their reader software to version 2.0, with this edition of the digital newsstand taking things one step further: the new version offers industry-first article exploration, revised user interaction and in-app shopping capabilities, and is available right now for those...
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Just as soon as Facebook and Skype announced their major integration deal a few weeks back, Skype for Windows v5.5 Beta hit the download page. Now, the final version is here: Skype 5.5 for Windows is available for download, and based on...
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Let the media wars begin! With iTunes firmly in the lead on the music front, the race is wide open when it comes to streaming media. There are Netflix, Hulu, Boxee, Amazon and countless others, all gunning to be your at-home favorite when it comes to streaming entertainment (and of course...
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The Nintendo 3DS was, at least in part, an experiment. The company had never launched a 3D-enabled console or handheld of any kind prior to it, so there was no baseline for how it would do in a market still curious about the true, tangible...
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Samsung's Mobile team has just announced that the first major software update to the hot-selling Tab 10.1 will go out early next month, with the company's homegrown TouchWiz UX (with Live Panel) interface making its debut in New York City. The Tab will be the first majorly overhauled Android...
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If there's one thing Acer isn't lacking for, it's model numbers. The company has just introduced two more notebooks in their quickly expanding Timeline series, the Timeline 8573 and 8473. Both of these promise up to 8+ hours of battery life, and they ship with Acer ProShield security, a suite...
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