research

So Apple, now you're doing more consumer research?

I had always thought that Apple's software was simple to use.

You press something with a nice bright color and a pretty design and the whole thing just materializes.

And yet the recent Boy Genius TV spots -- you remember, the ones where slightly older men wondered which button to click on and a genius baled them out at 4 a.m. -- made one wonder whether everyone thought Apple's software was so simple.

But it's not as if Apple is ever going to ask you, is it?

The company's legend was always that it wasn'… Read more

Leaked: Check out photos of RIM's BlackBerry 10 phones

Research In Motion may not be showing off its BlackBerry 10 phones anytime soon, but that doesn't mean photos of the devices won't leak out on their own.

Several renderings have popped up for the two phones, which include one full touch-screen device, and one with a Qwerty keyboard. CNET has seen the devices, and they match up with images posted on CrackBerry's Web site. CrackBerry pulled the images off a leaked marketing video, which has since been pulled.

The phones are the first products for the BlackBerry 10 platform and represent the company's best shot … Read more

BlackBerry 10: How RIM might reel you in. Really

When Research In Motion finally comes out with its first BlackBerry 10 phones, it will face the herculean task of convincing people they're actually worth a try.

Over the last few years, RIM has burned away a lot of goodwill, along with BlackBerry's standing as a pre-eminent smartphone brand, thanks to a near-comical succession of clunky product launches, delays, executive changes, and, at times, a frustrating refusal to acknowledge its own problems.

But with a new leadership team, RIM is hoping to bounce back with BlackBerry 10. The phones based on that operating system, however, won't be … Read more

RIM won't show off BlackBerry 10 phones this year

BlackBerry fans hoping to get a peek at the next-generation phones will have to wait until early next year.

Research In Motion won't be showing off its two BlackBerry 10 phones this year, Chief Marketing Officer Frank Boulben told CNET in an interview.

RIM has a lot riding on the success of its next-generation BlackBerry 10 platform. The company is pinning its hopes on BlackBerry 10 to reverse its market share losses, slumping revenue, and continued losses. But a lot of that has do with generating interest in the phones themselves.

The company plans to show off more of … Read more

RIM CEO: Confident BlackBerry 10 will take share from rivals

Research In Motion CEO Thorsten Heins has no shortage of confidence, boasting to investors that he believes BlackBerry 10 will take market share away from his rivals.

The new platform will also attract consumers new to smartphones to, Heins said during the company's quarterly conference call.

RIM's BlackBerry 10 smartphones will target mid-tier consumers and higher when they first launch, but Heins hinted at a lower end version some time next year.

"We're working on a concept for the entry level," Heins said during the company's quarterly conference call today. "You might see … Read more

Grim times for RIM: BlackBerry maker records $235M Q2 loss

It didn't take long for the high of Research In Motion's BlackBerry Jam to wear off.

Fresh off its developer conference, filled with cheery rhetoric from the leadership team and a demonstration of the capabilities of its next-generation BlackBerry 10 operating system, the company posted a fiscal second-quarter loss of $235 million, or 45 cents a share. That's a reversal from the profit of $329 million, or 63 cents a share, it posted a year ago.

Its revenue plunged 30 percent to $2.9 billion from $4.17 billion a year ago.

The results reflect the harsh … Read more

Pew study: News consumption up via mobile, social media

The Internet is continuing to erode TV, radio, and newspapers as the source of news for Americans. According to the latest Pew Research Center survey covering the changing news landscape, the proliferation of mobile devices and social networks is accelerating the shift to online news consumption. In the survey, 39 percent said that they got their news online, up from 33 percent two years ago.

Only TV surpasses online as a news source today. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, one-third watched some TV news, down from 49 percent in 2006. Among those under 30, … Read more

For really deep bass, you need a real subwoofer

There are a number of terrific small subwoofers on the market, but all of the best subs are big. The little ones can certainly make bass, but the quality and quantity of the larger subs' deep bass is considerably better. You can literally feel the difference -- deep bass is as much felt as it is heard.

I remember the impact a big sub made when I reviewed the Outlaw LFM-1 (now upgraded to the LFM-1 Plus, $549). The LFM-1 weighs 58 pounds and measures 21.75 inches tall, 15 inches wide, and a whopping 22 inches deep. It had … Read more

Why it's possible to still believe in RIM's BlackBerry 10

Research In Motion's BlackBerry Jam developer conference in San Jose, Calif., could either be considered the rebirth of a company or a last gasp attempt to keep developers interested in the platform. There's not much in between.

Given that binary reality -- BlackBerry 10 either does well or RIM dies -- it's worth checking in on both sides of the equation. Watching RIM CEO Thorsten Heins talk all things BlackBerry 10, which will be tested by carriers in October, I couldn't help but root for RIM. Yes, I realize RIM faces long odds, but we all … Read more

Finding flaws in the iPhone 5

Monday's CNET Update is a bit scratchy:

Apple sold more than 5 million iPhone 5 units as of the first weekend. That's a million more than the launch of the iPhone 4S. But looks like Apple could have sold many more if there was enough supply. Several retail stores in major cities had only 8 or 10, according to reports, and didn't get enough to fulfill preorders.

When you have millions of people around the world racing to be the first to have one, there are high standards. So there's been quite a bit of press … Read more