It's not unusual for a high-end smartphone to command $300 on a subsidized contract, and there are certainly a great number of powerful devices priced at $200. Word on the Web is that Nokia's upcoming Lumia 900 smartphone will run just $100 at AT&T with a two-year service agreement, and if that's true, kudos are in order for both Nokia and AT&T for such an aggressive launch.
Windows 8 isn't the only upcoming operating system that's kicking traditional GUI models to the curb. Ubuntu Linux is getting in on the paradigm-breaking action with the introduction of "The HUD" (yes, that means Heads-Up Display) in the next version of Ubuntu. No, Ubuntu's HUD has nothing to do with tracking ammo or teammates; instead, it's a new "Vocabulary UI" that aims to crush, kill and eventually replace the standard file menus we've used for over 30 years.
Much of the focus on Windows 8 has been centered on the Metro UI and whether or not it will translate well to non-touch devices, like your typical desktop PC or notebook computer. Dig a little underneath the hood, however, and you'll find a nifty nugget in the form of a next generation file system. It's called ReFS (Resilient File System), a newly engineered file system built on the foundations of NTFS.
What a difference a last name makes. Apple co-founder Steve Jobs made it his mission to "
Here's a bit of good news for all you original Eee Pad Transformer tablet PC owners. Android 4.0, otherwise known as Ice Cream Sandwich, is ready to deploy, all it needs is a green light from Google. Asus North America confirmed as much in a Facebook post in response to a question posed by Transformer owner Michael Sullivan, who like many others can't wait to bite into Google's most delicious Android build to date.
While Microsoft is all about its Windows Phone platform, Google's Android OS is proving a profitable nugget for the Redmond software giant. What some people don't know is that Microsoft collects license fees from several manufacturers who use Android in their products, and in exchange Microsoft agrees not to sue them for infringing on its IP. LG is the newest company to ink an Android license agreement with Microsoft, whose patent portfolio now covers nearly three quarters of all Android smartphones sold in the U.S.
Given a choice, most enthusiasts would prefer a stock build of Android on their smartphone, and the preference towards an unmolested UI is part of the reason people root. But not everyone has the know-how or courage to root, even though smartphones sporting custom UIs far outnumber ones with a stock build. The reason, according to Motorola Mobility CEO Sanjay Jha, is because it's tough to make money on stock devices.
As the saying goes, 'If at first you don't succeed, get your stuff together and roll out another hotfix already, it's 2012!' Maybe the saying doesn't go exactly like that, but it should if you're talking about the combination of Microsoft Windows and AMD's Bulldozer line. After 
Don't try telling Google's Eric Schmidt that his company's open source Android platform suffers from fragmentation. No seriously, don't try telling him. The Google executive made it very clear at CES 2012 that Android suffers no such affliction, chalking up the many different Android models and builds to "differentiation," not fragmentation. Is he just playing with words?
Today marks the end of an era for both Microsoft and the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. CES isn't shutting its doors -- not that we know of, anyway -- but the keynote Steve Ballmer delivered is Microsoft's final one. It's pulling out of CES, and before the divorce is final, Ballmer has one final message he wants to make clear.
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