WSJ: Apple and China Mobile finalize iPhone deal
Apple and China Mobile have signed a deal to start selling iPhones in the region, a person familiar with the matter told The Wall Street …
Chris Smith has been covering consumer electronics ever since the iPhone revolutionized the industry in 2007. When he’s not writing about the most recent tech news for BGR, he closely follows the events in Marvel’s Cinematic Universe and other blockbuster franchises.
Outside of work, you’ll catch him streaming new movies and TV shows, or training to run his next marathon.
Articles by Chris Smith
Facial recognition tech: Privacy, best practices on Obama’s agenda
The National Telecommunication & Information Administration (NTIA) on Tuesday announced that it plans to hold a variety of meetings next year, starting in early February, …
YouTube’s streaming music service launch reportedly delayed to 2014
Google will not launch a second music subscription service this year, people familiar with the matter told AllThingsD, as the company is not happy with …
With Topsy, Apple may be gunning for Google’s Search business
Apple’s $200 million purchase of Topsy prompted speculation earlier this week on what the iPhone maker may do with the analytics firm. PeerIndex founder Azeem Azhar …
CEO of Android phone maker: iPhone is ‘best smartphone on the planet’
Often called the Steve Jobs of China – a title he publicly said wasn’t appropriate – Xiaomi’s CEO Lei Jun said in an interview with Beijing …
UK government: Avoid ‘aggressive’ tax evader Amazon this Christmas
Eight members of the U.K. parliament led by Margaret Hodge, head of the public accounts committee, joined an Ethical Consumer campaign to boycott Amazon, advising …
Vertu founder now working on high-end Metawatch smartwatch
Metawatch has hired famed Nokia and Vertu designer Frank Nuovo to work on future devices for the company. Metawatch currently sells two smartwatch designs including …
New report sheds light on Apple’s plans for iPhone facial recognition
A new Apple patent describes a technology that uses face detection and recognition to activate certain features on devices including iPhones, iPads or Macs, AppleInsider …
Terrifying new malware uses sound to spread, doesn’t need networks
Computer scientists have developed an audio malware prototype that’s capable of establishing communication between devices that do not have an active network connection, Ars Technica …
Apple reportedly testing 12.9-inch iPad with 2K and 4K resolution
A new report says Foxconn has built as many as five test models of a new 12.9-inch iPad for Apple to choose from, with the company …
Sony says PlayStation 4 sales topped 2.1 million units in two weeks
Sony on Tuesday announced it has sold more than 2.1 million PlayStation 4 units in the two weeks since the console was first launched. The …
New Steam record: Almost 7.2 million gamers logged in simultaneously
More than 7 million gamers were logged into Steam at the same time on Sunday, a new record for Valve’s platform, which has a total of …
Leak says iPhone 5s, iPhone 5c hit China Mobile on December 18th
A leaked screenshot of an iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c pre-registration page reportedly put up by China Mobile suggests that the largest Chinese mobile operator …
Google hates patents… but collects 1,800 new patents this year alone
Despite publicly belittling software patents and lobbying for patent reform that would make it difficult for companies to use such patents in patent-based lawsuits, Google is …
iPad and iPhone win Black Friday online shopping war against Android
IBM and Adobe have independently revealed that iOS has won the battle with Android when it comes to Black Friday online shopping from mobile devices in …
Amazon Prime Air: Unmanned drones to ship packages in 30 minutes or less
Amazon on Sunday unveiled a bold new shipping initiative during CBS‘s popular TV show “60 Minutes:” Amazon Prime Air, which aims to ship packages to …
Google, Microsoft ordered to remove pirate sites from search results
A French court on Thursday ordered Google, Microsoft, and Yahoo to remove from search results 16 websites that host pirated media, in a case started …
Sony turns off some PSN features in Europe on PS4 launch day
Sony on Thursday announced on its PlayStation blog that certain PSN features will be turned off during the European launch of the PlayStation 4 console …
Walmart reports hot Black Friday tablet sales led by iPad mini
Walmart on Friday announced that its 2013 Black Friday campaign has been a smashing success, with the store delivering “the biggest shopping day of the …
Dutch regulator: ‘Google spins an invisible web of our personal data’
A Dutch regulator on Thursday said that Google’s privacy policy update in March 2012 that covers all the online services offered by the search giant …
Xbox Video service launches on the web
Microsoft on Wednesday launched its Xbox Video service on the web at XboxVideo.com, allowing users to watch movies and TV shows in the browser, using …
Steam takes the fight to Xbox One, PS4 with big Black Friday discounts
Steam on Wednesday published its Black Friday and Cyber Monday game deals part of the Autumn Sale 2013 promotion that takes place from November 27th …
Google wants employees using Macs, not Windows or its own Chromebooks
In a presentation at the LISA ’13 conference earlier this month, Google explained that it’s managing a fleet of over 43,000 Macs its employees use, …
CTIA’s stolen smartphone database is complete – but will it curb theft?
The CTIA on Wednesday announced that the database system for lost smartphones launched by the country’s main mobile operators back in April 2012 is finally …
NSA snooping keeps tabs on porn habits of alleged ‘radicalizers’
A document provided by NSA whistleblower Edward Snowden apparently reveals that the NSA has been keeping track of online sexual activity for certain targets that …
Microsoft gives gamers tips for warming girlfriends up to Xbox One
In addition to providing a template for writing quick, easy-to-use Xbox One-related “doctor’s orders,” Microsoft is also providing a similar email form for convincing your significant …
iPhone 5s, 5c take lion’s share of Japan’s smartphone sales in October
Apple’s new iPhone 5s and iPhone 5c are selling very well in Japan, Kantar revealed on Twitter, accounting for 76% of new smartphone sales this …
PS4 game prices reduced on PSN to match Xbox One offers in Europe
Sony has negotiated with game publishers including EA and Ubisoft to adjust the prices of PlayStation 4 PSN games in order to match the cheaper …
Video: Microsoft, Nokia both fire shots at iPad Air in new TV ads
In addition to its anti-Google Scroogled campaign, Microsoft has an anti-iPad ad propaganda in place as well, with a couple of new ads highlighting the …
U.K. PM Cameron wants to block ‘extremist’ websites
David Cameron, the British prime minister, has recently said in parliament that the U.K. government wants to block Internet access to certain “extremist” Islamist sites, Business …
