E-commerce giant Alibaba is taking another significant step beyond its core business by investing $50 million in Mountain View-based startup Peel, which makes apps that allow consumers to use their smartphones and tablets to control their TVs. The Android version works with TVs, cable boxes and streaming video boxes, while the iOS version can replace the remote for Dish and DirecTV boxes. Peel’s Android version also comes preloaded on some HTC and Samsung mobile devices. Continue reading Chinese Tech Firm Makes Major Investment in TV Remote App

Many of today’s top-tier smartphones can cost upwards of $650 (a price often hidden in a carrier plan), which hasn’t changed since Apple launched its first iPhone in 2007. Chinese startup OnePlus is aiming to change that. This month, the company will begin taking pre-orders for the One, a low-cost, high-end smartphone that runs a flexible version of Google’s Android called CyanogenMod. The $299 price tag is not part of a carrier plan, but the total cost, making the One about half the price of competing phones. Continue reading Chinese Startup OnePlus Unveils $299 High-End Smartphone

Google is playing catch-up in the world of mobile messaging apps in emerging markets overseas. Facebook closed on the $19 billion WhatsApp acquisition earlier this week, and reportedly, Google may have a similar app in the works. The company plans to test its app in India and other emerging markets, which is where tech companies are now looking for growth. A messaging app from Google could help the brand find a foothold in these markets and eventually generate revenue. Continue reading Google Developing Messaging App to Compete with WhatsApp

In its quarterly State of the Internet report, Akamai notes that we have now passed average worldwide connection speeds of 4 megabits per second, as Internet speeds continue to be impacted by the growth of cellular networks and affordable smartphones and tablets. While this number may not seem like big news in the U.S., it is a significant milestone in many other parts of the world. The report also indicates that distributed denial of service attacks are down by 15 percent compared to the previous year. Continue reading Akamai: Global Broadband Speeds Reach 4Mbps for First Time

Facing new competition in the mobile payment space, including the recently unveiled Apple Pay, eBay announced yesterday that it plans to spin off its PayPal business into a separate publicly traded company in late 2015. This is an about face by the online retailer, which had defended keeping the companies together after investor Carl Icahn aggressively pushed for a separation. EBay now says that a split will provide both companies with better competitive positions and allow them to focus on strategy. Continue reading Course Reversal: eBay Plans to Spin Off PayPal Biz Next Year

Amazon recently announced the expansion of its tablet line and e-reader offerings. As part of an effort to strengthen ties between its tablets and other new hardware, Amazon has dropped the name “Kindle” from its tablets. Formerly called Kindle Fire tablets, the simply named Fire HD and Fire HDX will be more closely aligned with the company’s Fire TV and Fire Phone. The rebranding highlights the distinction Amazon hopes to make between the Kindle e-readers and more advanced Fire tablets. Continue reading Amazon Draws Distinction Between its Tablets and E-Readers

In 1987, programmer Brian J. Fox wrote one of the Internet’s most widely used tools. The software is named “Bash” (short for Bourne-Again Shell) and now appears in more than 70 percent of devices connected to the Internet, including computers, routers, servers and some mobile phones. Yesterday, security experts warned that Bash contains a software bug called “Shellshock” that could potentially be used to take over hundreds of millions of machines, including Mac computers and smartphones that run Android. Continue reading Security Experts Warn of Potentially Dangerous Shellshock Bug

Microsoft announced its Wireless Display Adapter yesterday, a $60 device that will allow Windows and Android users to wirelessly send content from a variety of screens to any displays that feature an HDMI input. For example, users will have the ability to send what they are watching on a tablet, smartphone or laptop to a TV screen or projector. The dongle could also turn an HDMI-equipped TV into a Miracast receiver, which may spark competition with Google’s Chromecast and Roku’s Streaming Stick. Continue reading Microsoft TV Dongle Could Be Much Needed Boost for Miracast

For over-the-air recording, Simple.tv offers plenty of perks for cord cutters. The set-top box will not only stream video content to desktops and mobile devices, but also other set-top streamers such as Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku. The device can run up to five streams at once and recorded TV shows can be downloaded for offline viewing. However, Simple.tv comes at a steep price: $200 for the box, $60 to $150 for the subscription, and at least $50 for the hard drive. Continue reading Simple.tv DVR Streams Live and Recorded TV to Mobile Devices

Intel has been developing technology that brings 3D scanners to tablets, and plans to include the feature in consumer models by 2015. Next, the company expects to place the same technology in smartphones, in addition to incorporating 3D scanning cameras onto drones. The idea is, after scanning, Intel’s RealSense will produce a 3D model that the user can then manipulate with software or send to a 3D printer. At New York’s MakerCon, the company demonstrated the technology. Continue reading Intel Plans to Bring 3D Scanning to Tablets and Smartphones

Following the iCloud security breach involving controversial celebrity photos, Apple is trying to regain consumer trust by encouraging users to utilize their new and pre-existing security features. The company revealed how it encrypts messages and offered tips for protecting user data in a newly-launched website. In the open letter, Apple CEO Tim Cook takes a swing at Google for monetizing users’ private data and reassures Apple users that their data is safe from the government. Continue reading Apple’s Open Letter Explains Privacy Tips, Security Methods

With Google’s vast resources, Nest CEO Tony Fadell is hoping to bring home appliances and consumer electronics together in a new line of sleek connected home devices. The plan is to develop a line of smart refrigerators, TVs, light bulbs, thermostats, smoke alarms, and security cameras that can all interact with each other. In typical Google fashion, Nest wants anybody to be able to connect to their hardware, so they released a developer program for other companies. Continue reading Nest and Google are Aiming to Design Smarter Home Devices

Microsoft has agreed to purchase Mojang, the Swedish company responsible for developing the world-building computer game “Minecraft.” The $2.5 billion cash deal, expected to be completed later this year, will bring the immensely popular title — and the Stockholm-based Mojang team — to Microsoft Studios, which publishes blockbuster game series such as “Fable” and “Halo.” “Minecraft” is currently the most popular online game on Xbox, and the top paid app for iOS and Android in the U.S. Continue reading Microsoft to Pay $2.5 Billion for Mojang, Maker of ‘Minecraft’

The global trend in smartphones is larger screens, and it looks like consumers are already responding to the larger sizes of the new iPhones. Apple announced yesterday that early orders for the iPhone 6 (4.7 inches diagonally) and iPhone 6 Plus (5.5 inches) have exceeded four million in the first 24 hours of availability via online ordering. That figure is about double the number of early orders the company received online for the 4-inch iPhone 5 two years ago. The new iPhones will hit store shelves this Friday. Continue reading Bigger is Better for New iPhones: Online Orders Top 4 Million

While WhatsApp will continue to be an independent app, its acquisition by Facebook should help it reach up to three billion users, suggests Mark Zuckerberg. WhatsApp had 450 million users around the time that Facebook agreed to buy it for $19 billion, but has now reached 600 million. Facebook currently reaches around 1.3 billion people, which is half of the world’s Internet connected population. The company is focusing on spreading Internet access around the globe. Continue reading Facebook Aims to Connect the World, Starting With WhatsApp