Mobile is taking over the scene. Smartphones and tablets are bringing along this revolution, and our lives are becoming more intertwined with technology as a result. The term “mobile payment” actually has a number of different meanings. To some, NFC (near field communications) comes to mind. NFC is a relatively new payment option that allows users to wave either a card or mobile device in front of a sensor that will automatically process a payment for you. A lack of NFC sensors in the market has ultimately hindered the development of this payment method, but it could take off at any time. Card…

The war between the iPhone and the various Android smartphones has been hot for half a decade now. The various battles between Apple and Samsung in particular have been fierce. In recent months, Samsung and its Galaxy S line of smartphones have been making strides towards edging out the worldwide leader, but a recent study by FixYa will have Apple fanboys rejoicing. As you can see, Apple has the highest reliability score overall by a mile. The score, in which the higher the number, the better, is calculated by “taking manufacturer problem impressions divided by sample problem impressions (impression…

There’s a connection between what we see and what we feel according to recent experiments with tactile sensations and how visual stimulation affects them. In essence, seeing is touching if the research is correct. Most videos that come to us from DigiInfo are very compelling and highlight cutting-edge technology. This one is lukewarm and the science behind it is dubious, but the technology used in the experiment is pretty nifty. Using glasses that display an image of either fire or ice 30 centimeters in front of the viewer, they’re able to simulate sensations of hot or cold. The applications…

Facebook may or may not have abandoned its long-rumored dream of having its own branded handsets, but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t want to be on every smartphone. In what may be a relief to many who dreaded the thought of a Facebook phone, the social networking giant is working with Chinese chipmaker Spreadtrum to embed its software directly into the guts of inexpensive smartphones. This is a much smarter move. Rather than get into the costly, risky world of hardware, they will be able to more easily achieve their goals of world domination mass adoption by going after the target market that eludes…

It’s a mobile world. Of that, there is little doubt. There is no longer a question about whether the smartphone and mobile industry in general can take over the mind (and hand) share of the data and communications industry. The only question that needs to be answered is who will be able to cash in and who’s going to cash out soon. Android and Apple are in wonderful positions. Microsoft Windows Phones and the newest re-entry into the segment, BlackBerry, are on the bubble. They are alive today, but for how long? Perhaps there’s only room for one of them. Perhaps neither will survive. This small graphic…

In many ways, smartphones are actually too smart. They have capabilities that few ever take advantage of and there are so many apps that there’s no way to explore a fraction of them. Smartphones can help you organize, remember, and hack life in general with their capabilities. Used properly, they can even help you make money. This video from Hack College gives us a breakdown of five different ways you can make the most out of your smartphone in a smidgen over a minute. From optimizing your actions to linking to the cloud, these hacks can take your smartphone use to another level.  …

Fans who are still holding to hope for Research in Motion’s revival through BlackBerry 10 devices due to be introduced later this month will be happy to note that they are planning to take on Nero’s approach in the final scenes of Star Trek. “Fire everything!” Questions have been asked about the company’s future and the viability of their once-proud BlackBerry line. Will it be priced in the high, middle, or low range? Will they be all-touch or will they have sliding or front-facing keyboards? Will it keep its roots as a business phone or will it branch out and become something that anyone would be proud…

These days, smartphones are like an extra appendage to most people. We use them for everything, especially searching the internet. Think about how much more convenient things have gotten since the rise of the smartphone. Today, if you need to find the nearest restaurant, you can with the swipe of a screen and a tap of an app. That’s why mobile search is on the rise. Gone are the days of having to wait until you got home to look something up on the internet, now you can do it whenever and wherever you please. So what does the rise of mobile search mean for advertisers? Well, it provides them with a very large…

We are not ones to promote cheating in any regard, yet when something is “oh-so-clever” we can’t help but be amused at the lengths this generation will go to make cheating easier and let’s face it, it truly isn’t all that difficult with as much technology we have available to us. However, schools have caught on and cut out mobile devices in classrooms, but calculators? Oh no, calculators still get an A+ from school officials and here comes the clever part. …

There has been plenty of buzz lately about the rise in shopping from mobile devices. Smartphones in particular are seeing sharp increases as entries into the eCommerce. Black Friday saw over a billion dollars in online sales. Despite the trend, the use of shopping apps is still low on the list. Gaming, weather apps, and social networking each account for over twice the number of people who use their apps regularly. This doesn’t mean that there aren’t a lot of people shopping on mobile devices. It just means they aren’t using apps to do it. Yet. In this infographic, we take a look at some interesting…