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Poll

Friday Poll: Were old phones better?

Our counterparts across the pond at CNET UK raised an interesting question this week. Were old phones better? Gather around the geek watercooler and let's discuss.

A poll by MyVoucherCodes.co.uk found that 24 percent of respondents preferred their old phones to sparkling new smartphones with whiz-bang features. That's not an overwhelming number, but it's enough to get us to take notice.

We've gotten used to wave after wave of spec-monster smartphones like the Motorola Droid Razr with its 4.3-inch display, 8MP camera, and 1.2GHz dual-core processor. But is fancier really better? … Read more

GOP voters prefer AOL e-mail service, poll shows

The current GOP presidential candidates might want to consider using AOL as their e-mail handler to reach out to supporters.

According to poll results released today by Poll Position, AOL e-mail is a favorite among Republicans, with some 20 percent picking it as the best service.

Poll Position says it conducted the survey among 1,184 registered voters nationwide on November 10, 2011. The poll results are weighted to be a representative sampling of all American adults and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 percent. You can see a complete breakdown the poll participant by age, … Read more

How often do you use your iPad?

According to CNET UK's Crave blog, in a recent survey conducted by coupon site MyVoucherCodes.co.uk, out of a group of 1,531 U.K. iPad owners, many claimed their iPads were largely going unused. We want to know what our readers think.

According to the poll, 26 percent of iPad owners responding to the poll only use the tablet once per week while 10 percent say they may not use it at all. While those numbers come from a small sample size on a single site's survey, I wanted to know if our readers were having similar usage patterns with their iPads.

I find I use my mine nearly every day, whether I'm reading a book, catching up on the latest social goings-on with Facebook, or mulling over a crossword puzzle. The iPad also comes in handy for creating some cool content for my film experiments and perfecting my musical chops in GarageBand.

How do you use your iPad? Answer the poll and let me know in the comments!… Read more

How's your iPhone 4S battery life? (poll)

Cupertino, we have a problem.

This morning I woke up to a dead iPhone 4S. When I went to bed last night, the battery gauge showed at least 50 percent.

I did see a few vampires roaming the streets (it was Halloween, after all), but I didn't expect them to sink their fangs into my iPhone.

I do expect this kind of overnight power loss from Android phones, as I've seen it happen with any number of models. But I've owned every iPhone since the original, and this has never happened with any of them.

Last night was the second time with my 4S.… Read more

Are free BlackBerry apps enough of an apology? (poll)

When a guy messes up in a relationship, he might resort to flowers and a necklace to get back into good graces. Research In Motion announced today that it's offering a big bouquet of free apps to its upset customers after several days of widespread network outages and slow service.

The $100 selection of premium apps includes Sims 3, Bejeweled, Texas Hold'em Poker 2, and Shazam Encore. Enterprise customers get a month of free tech support as well.… Read more

Friday Poll: No iPhone 5; so now what?

Apple's much-anticipated "Let's Talk iPhone" event came and went this week without the appearance of an iPhone 5. Some consumers expressed no uncertain disappointment about this development ("The S in iPhone 4S stands for Same," one commenter said, echoing other observers' expressions of letdown at not seeing a complete revamp of the smartphone).

Others, such as CNET's Dan Ackerman, took the position that the iPhone 4S essentially is an iPhone 5. Yes, it may be wearing the same outfit as the iPhone 4, but with a dual-core processor, upgraded camera, voice-activated personal assistant, and improved battery life, Dan argues, it is, in fact, almost an entirely new device.

So, here's what we want to know, readers. Now that the mystery's over, you've familiarized yourself with the iPhone 4S' features, and you know we won't be seeing an iPhone 5 just yet, how (if at all) does this impact your phone plans for the near future? Vote in our poll, and be sure to elaborate in the comments section.

… Read more

Friday Poll: Is Kindle Fire really an iPad slayer?

We've been keeping an eagle eye out for a tablet in shining armor that can truly take on Apple's fire-breathing iPad. It now looks like Amazon will fight fire with Kindle Fire.

The Kindle Fire couldn't be much more different than the iPad. It has a 7-inch screen, runs a version of Android, doesn't have a camera, and can't connect to a 3G network.

The Fire's biggest selling point is its selling point: $199. Golly, that's a cheap tablet. At that price, a lot of people might be willing to pass on the luxuries of 3G, lots of local storage, a microphone, and extra screen real estate.

Amazon's large store of available content in the form of books, videos, and music may well keep customers busy enough to forget about iTunes.

The term "iPad killer" is popping up everywhere, but the real truth is likely to be much more complex than one or the other winning out in a bloody sales war.

There are still plenty of unanswered questions about the Kindle Fire, but that's not going to stop us from asking the Big One. Is the Kindle Fire a true iPad competitor? We know you've got an opinion. Vote in our poll and tell us more in the comments.… Read more

Friday Poll: Favorite new Facebook feature?

We now know that Americans blow billions of minutes each month on Facebook. It's no wonder folks get in a tizzy when a new feature rolls out.

This week has been a particularly busy one when it comes to Facebook-related improvements. Which of these shiny new features are you most enamored by?

Subscribe option: The subscribe button makes it easier to get just the information you want. Click on it and get updates from that profile in your news feed. This will even work for public updates from some profiles that you're not directly friends with.

Smart Lists: Smart Lists will automatically shuffle your gazillions of friends into groups related to school, work, city, and family. You can then make manual adjustments.

Skype adds Facebook for Mac: Mac users finally get the full Skype-loves-Facebook treatment that Windows users had already been enjoying. The Skype 5.4 for Mac beta lets you message friends, update your status, and read posts from within the program.

Less frequent e-mail alerts: Facebook e-mailed some users telling them to start expecting fewer e-mail notifications from the company. If you prefer to keep your e-mail alerts just the way they are, however, you can turn this new feature off.

Take a moment from updating your status to let us know what floats your social-networking boat. Which new Facebook feature are you most excited about? Vote in our poll and be sure to elaborate in the comments section.… Read more

Friday Poll: What was Steve Jobs' greatest hit?

Steve Jobs stepped down as Apple CEO this week, prompting a flood of retrospectives about the legendary businessman who rewrote the rules of the game for entire industries.

Many waxed nostalgic over the brilliant arc of Jobs' career, which has been brought low by health problems. Heck, it even made me want to dig out my Apple IIc, my first computer, and see if it can still boot Beyond Castle Wolfenstein.

From the co-founding of Apple in 1976 to the launch of the iPad in 2010, Jobs redefined our relationship to technology by introducing innovative products that have become intuitive and indispensable everyday tools.

Who would have thought that people actually wanted to own computers? And carry them around in their pockets, no less?

Apart from Apple, his achievements include the acquisition of what became Pixar, as well as the object-oriented software development model that changed the OS landscape.

"I believe Apple's brightest and most innovative days are ahead of it," Jobs wrote in his announcement this week. If that's true, Apple will continue to change our lives profoundly.

What do you think is Jobs' greatest legacy? Vote in our poll and leave your comments below. … Read more