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There seem to be two major reactions to the "promotion" of Apple's Jonathan Ive to the newly created position of chief design officer: first, that he deserves the recognition and reward; and second, that this is the beginning of the end for Jony Ive's tenure at Apple. Because Apple released the news...

Apple reportedly is preparing to launch an app called "Home" to act as an interface for setting up and managing smart devices that plug into its HomeKit framework. The Home app is expected to manage thermostats, smoke alarms, garage door openers, door locks, and other automated home tech. Apple alre...

I want to believe that Apple will launch a new Apple TV hardware device in June at WWDC -- but holy macaroni, it's been more than three years since Apple introduced the third-generation Apple TV. Of course, Apple made a barely noticeable hardware tweak more than two years ago, but I'm begging for an...

OPINION

The Future According to Qualcomm

I was at the Qualcomm Internet of Things event in San Francisco last week during what was a major IoT event in the city. What is kind of amazing is the larger event was just a small part of the applications show that used to go on at the same time. This year it is twice the size of that older show.

Camera drones certainly are growing in popularity -- or further polluting the sky, depending on your perspective. A new model plans to follow your every move, thanks to a tracker on your wrist. After you throw Lily, it will fly up to 50 feet in the air and 100 feet away from you, knowing where you a...

I'll admit I'm not the planet's most refined wine connoisseur, but I do enjoy a glass or two of red with my dinner. Right now, I have a few bottles that are vacuuming up space in my kitchen, so I could use a wall-mounted wine rack -- but what's the use of having an empty rack once they're gone? Popp...

Tesla Motors CEO Elon Musk on Thursday announced the company's plan to develop residential and business battery systems, including the Powerwall Home Battery and business-oriented Powerpack. These systems are being developed to work in conjunction with solar panels to store energy for use at a later...

GADGET DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES

Gadget Ogling: A Juicy Wristband, a Gamy Wearable and a Dorky Dongle

Asus is taking a common-sense approach to the fitness tracker game by debuting a new watch with a 10-day battery life. Thanks to its square screen, the soon-to-be-released VivoWatch resembles a smartwatch more than, say, a Fitbit. Although details are scant, it appears to have a monochrome screen, w...

When it comes to adding extending your smartphone or tablet battery life during the day, Mophie's been trying to make life easier a little longer than most, with time to iterate on its battery pack cases. The company's going a little further now, as it expands its Space line of cases that house not ...

Flir Systems on Tuesday made a foray into the consumer market with a new video camera that can be used for home monitoring, sports, and even as a dash cam. The new Flir FX video camera, which supports WiFi, is a compact unit capable of capturing HD, as well as integrating with cloud-based analytics ...

GADGET DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES

Gadget Ogling: Dashing Buttons, a Plug-In PC and a Smart Teakettle

Amazon Dash is a series of WiFi connected buttons you dot around your home for various products. Once you run out, hit the button, and Amazon will ship out more of what you need. Run out of things like trash bags, razors, detergent, diapers, paper towels, dog food or toilet paper, and Amazon can shi...

One of the really attractive options for retirement is moving to another country and, for a fraction of the cost of living in the U.S., living like royalty. Well, I've been hearing a lot of stories about this over the last year, and I think there is reason for concern. This isn't to say that a lot o...

Someway, somehow, it's apparently legal to own the XM42 flamethrower in the United States, unless you happen to live in California or Maryland. I can't fathom any circumstance under which a weapon -- let's not mince words here -- capable of shooting flames 25 feet should be available for anyone to p...

GADGET DREAMS AND NIGHTMARES

Gadget Ogling: Cute Robots, Secure Tablets and a Conscientious Can

PLEN2 is simply adorable. A robot to seemingly fix all the world's problems, if its Kickstarter project is anything to believe, PLEN2 is possibly the most joyous humanoid machine I've seen in years. Maybe I'm swayed a little by the infectious theme song in the pitch video. The idea is to sell the ba...

Barbie, who turns 56 this year, finally may get a voice of her own -- but opponents are working hard to keep the talking version of the iconic doll out of children's hands -- and homes. Mattel plans to bring out Hello Barbie in time for Christmas. However, child advocacy group Campaign for a Commerc...

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