Lifestyle

  • This Week On The TechCrunch Gadgets Podcast: All Google I/O, All The Time Google’s major developer conference, Google I/O, went down this week. Was it a bit of a letdown? Probably. Did cool stuff still come out of the event? Eh? Maybe? We discuss these topics and more this week on the TC Gadgets podcast. In fact, we even had Frederic Lardinois join as a guest, along with ...
  • HTC Pledges To Pump Up ‘One’ Production While Samsung’s New Flagship Ships Like Crazy Oh HTC. You’ve produced one of the finest Android smartphones ever (seriously, just look at all these reviews), but you’ve faced more than your share of challenges when it came to actually pumping your top-tier One smartphone. As it happens, that may all soon change. FocusTaiwan reported earlier today that HTC is preparing to pump out ...
  • Adam Levin: Should You Pay Off Your Ex’s Credit Cards? When the Love Boat morphs into the Titanic and you are flailing in the icy waters of the North Atlantic, the banks are not rescuers, they’re sharks.. Read more: Credit Cards, Divorce Finance, Credit Tips, Divorce, ...
  • NVIDIA’s Shield May Be A Tough Sell, But Now You Can Pre-Order It From GameStop And Newegg Anyway If you were among the select few that signed up for NVIDIA’s Shield newsletter then you’ve been able to pre-order the company’s curious handset for a few days now. The remainder of the gaming masses originally had to wait until Monday for their own turn, but that’s no longer the case — NVIDIA’s retail partners ...
  • Michigan Tech Sponsors A 3D Printers For Peace Contest Now that Defense Distributed is on the defensive, it’s time to think a bit harder about what 3D printing really means. To that end, Michigan Tech is sponsoring a Printers For Peace contest that is encouraging designers and engineers to make amazing stuff using a 3D printer that can change the world for the better. ...
  • Galaxy S4 Will Pass 10M Shipments Next Week Less Than A Month After Launch, Says Samsung Samsung’s latest flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S4, is poised to pass 10 million shipments next week less than a month after the device launched, says co-CEO Shin Jong-kyun, according to the Korea Times. The S4′s international release took place on April 27, after the phone launched in Samsung’s home market on April 26. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Money: Google Tax 17 May 13 Google’s tax affairs came in for criticism again yesterday after an appearance in front of parliament’s Public Accounts Committee. Rent has gone up in every single region for the first time since 2011 according to one survey; we look at what impact th… Like this:Like Loading...
  • Pebble Nabs $15M In Funding, Outs PebbleKit SDK And Pebble Sports API To Spur Smartwatch App Development Get ready for a whole lot more Pebble. The smartwatch company just announced several software enhancements for the Pebble and a $15M Series A led by Charles River Ventures. Pebble is not going to sit around, scared of iWatch rumors. They’re plowing forward on their own accord and committed to providing the best platform possible ...
  • Here’s A Weekend Project For First-Time Tinkerers: Turn Your Converse Into A DIY Light Show The weekend isn’t upon us just yet, but here’s a little project to tuck away for when the Sunday doldrums set in — the New York-based tinkerers/part suppliers at Adafruit Industries have worked up a way to give your old pair of Chuck Taylors a bit of luminescent DIY flair. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Leap Motion Talks New Beta, We Go Hands On With Motion-Controlled Google Earth Leap Motion was showing off its still unreleased gesture motion controller for computers at Google I/O 2013. The demo unit allowed you to use the controller to navigate Google Earth, and the functionality felt ready for prime time to me, as this was the first time I’d ever used the Leap Motion. The controls seemed ...
  • Google Says All 2,000 Glass Explorers Have Been Invited To Pick Up Their Device Today, Steve Lee of the Google X and Glass Team, announced that as of last week, all 2,000 developers who signed up for the Glass Explorer program at last year’s I/O conference have now been invited to pick up their devices from Google’s offices in Mountain View, New York City or Los Angeles. Like this:Like Loading...
  • NVIDIA’s Shield Mobile Gaming System Feels Like The Way Android Games Should Be Played NVIDIA brought its new Shield handheld gaming system to Google I/O this year and showed off a near-production device. The Shield made its debut at CES this year, surprising most since it’s a consumer handheld device from a company that generally makes internal components. But it has some neat tricks up its sleeve, including a ...
  • Money: HSBC targets cost savings 15 May 13 As HSBC announces plans for more cost-cutting worldwide, we ask why such a profitable bank is axing staff. Have motorists and investors been ripped off by rigged oil prices? We have the latest on an investigation into alleged oil price manipulation. An… Like this:Like Loading...
  • Money: BP oil spill costs escalate 16 May 13 BP wants Prime Minister David Cameron to intervene over the escalating cost of compensating US companies for the Gulf of Mexico oil disaster in 2010. As unemployment rises and wage increases slow down, we ask if the economy is on the right track. And q… Like this:Like Loading...
  • First-edition books fetch £226,000 A treasure trove of literary first editions collected by an English teacher from Stirling has sold at auction for a total of £226,000. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Fuel poverty gap widens The UK’s so-called “fuel poverty gap” is widening, although the total number in fuel poverty has fallen, according to a government report. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Retirement ‘is harmful to health’ Retirement has a detrimental impact on mental and physical health, says a new study by the Institute of Economic Affairs, a think tank. Like this:Like Loading...
  • The great credit card takeaway How people are persuaded to give away their plastic Like this:Like Loading...
  • Japanese Carrier DoCoMo To Pay $50M To Take A 7% Stake In Pioneer To Expand Its Push Into In-Car Transport Systems Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo has announced it plans to invest around $50M into Japanese digital entertainment company Pioneer Corporation, which makes in-car electronics, to acquire approximately seven per cent of the company. The pair described the investment as “a business and capital alliance”, and said they plan to jointly develop an intelligent transport system for ...
  • Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Active Rugged Smartphone Hits Bluetooth SIG As All-Terrain Phone Battle Heats Up Samsung is moving quickly to diversify its phone line, with variants of the S4 popping out of the woodwork left and right, including the Galaxy S4 Zoom, which features a rumored 10x optical zoom on its rear camera. Today the Galaxy S4 Active, a ruggedized, smaller version of the flagship S4 has hit the Bluetooth ...
  • Rumor: AT&T To Discontinue The HTC First Facebook Phone HTC’s Facebook Home-laden First smartphone may only have debuted on AT&T last month, but it appears that the device may be a dud as far as consumers are concerned. According to a report from BGR’s Zach Epstein, sales of the HTC First smartphone have been so disappointing that AT&T will soon be dropping the device ...
  • At I/O, Google Will Be Tracking Things Like Noise Level And Air Quality With Hundreds Of Arduino-Based Sensors If you’re attending Google I/O this week, you will be a part of an experiment from the Google Cloud Platform Developer Relations team. On its blog today, the team outlined its plan to gather a bunch of environmental information happening around you as you meander around the Moscone Center. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Nokia Confirms The Flagship Lumia 925 For T-Mobile U.S: 4.5″ AMOLED Screen, Metal Edges, Extra Lens & New Camera Software Fresh from last week’s Verizon Lumia device launch, Nokia has taken the wraps off a new smartphone in its Windows Phone-based Lumia range at an event in London today. The Lumia 925 is its first flagship for T-Mobile in the U.S. This means that following the Lumia 928 launch on Verizon, and factoring in Nokia’s initial launch of the ...
  • The Lumia 925, Nokia’s New Windows Phone 8 Flagship, Sheds Excess Weight, Wants To Mess Around With Your Photos Meet the Lumia 925, the latest smartphone flagship in Nokia’s increasingly populous Windows Phone portfolio. The 925 is clearly Nokia’s answer to criticisms of its high end devices being too heavy. The 925 drops a full 46g compared to the earlier Lumia 920, weighing in at 139g vs the 920’s hefty 185g. The ...
  • Google To Begin Offering Unlocked Samsung Galaxy S4 With Stock Android For $649 On June 26 Google is offering a version of the Samsung Galaxy S4, arguably one of the top current Android devices, with Jelly Bean 4.2 unlocked on Google Play beginning June 26, the company revealed at I/O today. The news is big because it’s the first non-Nexus device to get blessed with this opportunity, and Google says it ...
  • Zivix Announces Wireless iOS Connectivity For The Jamstik MIDI Guitar When we first met the team from Zivix their wild MIDI guitar, the Jamstik, promised a unique music-making experience thanks to a tether that connected it to a computer or iOS device. In the few short months since CES, however, they’re now preparing to announce that Jamstik works nearly flawlessly over Wi-Fi with iPhones and ...
  • HMRC wins Goldman Sachs court case HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) has won its case in the High Court, where it had been accused of illegally letting investment bank Goldman Sachs off part of its tax bill. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Numbers on zero hours contracts rise The number of 16 to 24-year-olds on zero hours contracts more than doubles since the start of the economic downturn, new figures show. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Phone scam targets the unemployed Unemployed people are being tricked into calling expensive premium rate numbers while applying for non-existent jobs. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Michael Neill: 3 Ways to Make Money When you begin to see that good feeling is part of your essential nature and not something that can ever be truly impacted by how much or how little you have, the game of money becomes considerably easier to play. ...
  • Demands sent to the dead Firms which write to the dead asking ‘why did you leave?’ Like this:Like Loading...
  • France mulls tax on internet devices The French government considers introducing a “culture tax” on the sale of smartphones and tablets to help fund French film, music and images. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Confusion over Cornish ‘pasty tax’ There is still confusion over when VAT should be added to the sale of pasties, a survey by the Cornish Pasty Association finds. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Housing demand ‘highest since 2009′ Demand for flats and houses in the UK has risen to its highest level for three and a half years, according to an industry survey. Like this:Like Loading...
  • HMRC names further tax dodgers HM Revenue and Customs publishes its second list of tax defaulters, as it tries to shame people into paying up. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Money: Payday Loans 14 May 13 The payday loans business says it’s changing – and it’s appointed a new man to keep it clean. We ask him what powers he’ll have. Marks & Spencer will try to impress investors and style experts tonight at a key fashion show. Will the Chief Executive, Marc Bolland, convince the City M&S is on track? ...
  • UK Savers: Why do they still bother? Britain’s savers: Why do they still bother? Like this:Like Loading...
  • Google I/O 2013: What’s On Tap For Nexus Smartphone And Tablet Hardware Google’s big annual developer conference kicks off on Wednesday, and while Android lead Sundar Pichai has downplayed big new announcements at Google I/O this year, we’ve also seen reports that suggest the Nexus line of Google-branded hardware won’t go completely untouched. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Ticket resale sites – are fans winners or losers? Do ticket exchanges give fans a good deal? Like this:Like Loading...
  • Post Office warned on account fees Consumer group Which? warns that a monthly charge could discourage people from opening bank accounts at the Post Office. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Gas use up 18%, says British Gas British Gas owner Centrica says gas use in the first four months of this year jumped 18% and says it will hold prices “for as long as possible”. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Money: CBI Growth Forecast 13 May 13 Is the UK economy finally turning the corner? The CBI employers’ group thinks we’re moving from flat to growth. We get advice from Hong Kong and a UK manufacturer on the role exports can play. And do you bank with the Co-op? We take a look at the crowd… Like this:Like Loading...
  • Post offices face ‘uncertain future’ A survey of sub-postmasters finds less than one in five say they can see a strong future for their business as their incomes fall. Like this:Like Loading...
  • VIDEO: Your Money: Consumer laws and saving In this week’s Your Money, Declan Curry looks at consumer rights for buying online, high street bank savings rates and retirement. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Mystery Motorola Phone Passes Through The FCC, Looks Just Like Early X Phone Leaks Here’s a little noodle-scratcher for you fellow mobile hardware nerds to ponder this evening. This little Motorola Mobility beauty, brandishing the model number XT1058, recently passed through the FCC and left the customary paper trail in its wake. Alright, maybe calling it a beauty is a bit of a stretch, but here’s the kicker: the ...
  • From The Garage To 200 Employees In 3-Years; How Nest Thermostats Were Born. Editor’s note: Derek Andersen is the founder of Startup Grind, a 40-city community bringing the global startup world together while educating, inspiring, and connecting entrepreneurs. I remember when the press first hit about Nest Labs, the guys behind the iPod/iPhone were taking on thermostats everywhere! A collective “huh?” went through the tech industry. It felt like the tech version of ...
  • Through The Looking Glass: What You’ll See Through Google’s Lens I’ve spent a little over three weeks with Google Glass, and I’ve noted that the utility aspect of the device is strong, but the fun isn’t there yet. It feels a lot like the original iPhone did, before it had the App Store. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Smart meter project is delayed The introduction of energy smart meters in 30 million UK homes will be delayed for more than a year, the government announces. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Pension pots ‘saved from charges’ Workers automatically enrolled into a workplace pension will not see their pension pot reduced by charges from consultants, under government plans. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Fraudsters ‘use Green Deal as cover’ Trading standards officers in West Yorkshire and Wales warn that door-to-door conmen are posing as Green Deal assessors. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Apple’s iPhone Security Measures Prompt Queue Of Unlock Requests From Law Enforcement Apple faces a whole lot of inbound requests to unlock iPhone devices from law enforcement officials, according to a new report from CNET. Seized iPhones with a passcode lock are apparently secure enough to frustrate a lot of police agencies in the U.S., resulting in a wait list that Apple has put in place to ...
  • Google Working On High-Resolution Nexus 7 For I/O Reveal, Android Notebooks Later This Year, Analyst Says Google’s I/O developer conference is happening next week in San Francisco, and one of the big questions around what we’ll see there includes hardware. Now KGI securities analyst Mingchi Kuo (via 9to5Google), who unlike other analysts actually has a good track record of predicting things accurately, has let slip that one big reveal will be ...
  • Nokia Lumia 928 Windows Phone With 8.7-Megapixel PureView Camera Available May 16 For $99.99 On Contract Nokia has officially pulled back the curtain on the Lumia 928 Windows Phone 8 device, which advertises its PureView camera as its marquee feature. The new flagship phone offers an 8.7-megapixel front-facing camera, which boasts optical image stabilization for better low-light photography and more stable pics overall. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Falling iPad Mini Demand Claims Show Why Watching Suppliers For Apple Success Misses The Point This week, Bloomberg sparked a number of headlines with reports that iPad mini demand was failing based on supplier Pegatron’s earnings numbers as revealed at an investor conference. Those claims were later refuted by Pegatron CEO Jason Cheng, who argued that Bloomberg’s Tim Culpan had misquoted him to reach his conclusion about iPad mini numbers. Like ...
  • Money: Sir Alex Ferguson retires 09 May 13 Sir Alex Ferguson announced his retirement from Manchester United yesterday and shares in the League Champions dropped almost 5% when trading opened in the United States. We assess the financial impact of Sir Alex’s departure on one of the biggest bran… Like this:Like Loading...
  • Money: G7 Meeting 10 May 13 The Chancellor will warn finance ministers that a ‘global recovery cannot be taken for granted’ and ‘needs to be nurtured’ at a G7 meeting later today. Representatives from the G7 nations – the UK, the USA, Germany, Japan, Italy, France and Canada – ar… Like this:Like Loading...
  • Shaka Is A Wind Meter Device For iOS With Gustier Ambitions After reading about WeatherSignal, a new project from London startup OpenSignal which makes use of the latest sensors in smartphones such as the Samsung Galaxy S4 to crowdsource weather information, I was reminded that I recently caught wind of Shaka, an Estonian startup that has built a wind meter accessory for iOS. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Amazon Making Smartphone With 3D Screen, Dedicated Audio Streaming Device, WSJ Reports Amazon offers a range of hardware, including its Kindle e-readers and tablets, but now it’s looking to expand the line with two new smartphones and an audio-only device that streams music, according to the Wall Street Journal. The phones include a high-end one with a glasses-free 3D screen, as well as another about which details ...
  • The Google Glass Wink Feature Is Real Rumors have been circulating that Google Glass may have a feature that lets you wink to take a picture. Within the kernel source code, developers have discovered that the feature does exist deep in the code, but for most users of Google Glass, this feature is not an option on the front-end. However, TechCrunch has ...
  • UK tax evasion hunt nets 100 people A joint investigation by the UK, the US and Australia to identify those using offshore tax havens to hide their wealth has uncovered more than 100 people. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Wm. Scott Page: Let Life Insurance Lapse at Your Own Risk Individuals pay hundreds of millions of dollars into life insurance every year, yet four out of 10 seniors lapse or surrender their policies before they receive any payout. Read more: Aging, Baby Boomers, Retirement, Life Settle… Like ...
  • Adam Levin: How Much Student Loan Debt Is Too Much? Some call it the Student Loan Bubble — I call it crazy. And what better time to discuss student debt insanity than now, as countless soon-to-be graduates prepare to slip on their caps and gowns? Read ...
  • Morghan Leia Richardson: True Story: How to Squirrel Away $5,000 to Get Out of a Horrible Marriage (And Get the Kids, House and Alimony) This woman didn’t earn the family’s income or even oversee much of the bill payment. Yet for three years she took charge: Unbeknownst to her husband, Anne set up a savings account and had the bank send the statements to a trusted friend. … Like this:Like ...
  • Richard Barrington: 4 Financial Myths That Can Hurt You Some myths persist even when people ought to know they aren’t true. These falsehoods can be fun, unless they are about money — in which case they can do a great deal of harm. Here are four financial “facts” you should always take with a gra… Like this:Like ...
  • Living on a budget: Readers’ stories Readers’ experiences of feeding themselves on a tight budget Like this:Like Loading...
  • Barratt upbeat on housing market Housebuilder Barratt Developments reports improving sales and says market conditions are “the most positive we have seen for five years”. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Rise in homes seized by lenders The number of UK homes repossessed in the first three months of the year rose slightly compared with the previous quarter, lenders say. Like this:Like Loading...
  • ‘Record share’ for buy-to-let deals The buy-to-let sector now accounts for a record portion of total mortgage loans, according to lenders’ data. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Bank holds fire on stimulus move The Bank of England keeps its stimulus programme of quantitative easing (QE) unchanged and also holds interest rates at 0.5%. Like this:Like Loading...
  • BT raises stakes in BSkyB battle BT is to offer free Premier League football coverage to its broadband customers, the telecoms company announces, in a direct challenge to BSkyB. Like this:Like Loading...
  • Arrests follow alleged pension fraud Police have made a number of arrests in the first operation of its kind to tackle suspected fraudulent pension liberation schemes. Like this:Like Loading...
  • OUYA Closes $15 Million In Funding Led By Kleiner Perkins, Boasts 12,000 Game Developer Sign-Ups Today, gaming console and software company OUYA announced that they have closed a $15 million round led by Kleiner Perkins, and with participation from the Mayfield Fund, NVIDIA, Shasta Ventures and Ocean Partners. This marks one of the largest institutional investments to go to a project that had its humble beginnings on Kickstarter. OUYA is ...
  • Groupon – Groupon, Inc. Groupon brings you unbeatable deals for 50–90% off the best stuff to do, see, eat, and buy in more than 500 cities and eleven fiefdoms around the world. Download the Groupon app to get freshly hatched deals delivered to your iPhone each morning, customized to fit your preferences. Whether you are looking to discover a new ...
  • Google Glass Update Adds Hangout, Google+ Notifications, Long Press For Search Throughout The UI Google Glass is still very much a pre-release product, but a new update today edges it closer to a shipping device, thanks to some core functionality additions that you’d expect to see in consumer Google hardware. The “XE5″ update adds inbound notifications from Google+, so you can see direct shares, comments and mentions, as well ...
  • The Robohand Project Gives Kids A New Grip On Life Makerbot has released an inspiring video about how a group of hackers built 3D-printed hands for children and adults who are missing fingers or entire hands. The project aims to take the cost and complexity associated with hand prosthesis out of the process. It is working. Like this:Like Loading...