Kelly Hodgkins

As part of a larger green initiative to help consumers recycle old iOS devices, Apple is now expanding its Reuse & Recycling program in the U.S. and Canada to include the iPad, reports 9to5Mac. Apple also is making it easier for consumers to purchase new devices with more flexible terms for applying in-store credits obtained when recycling an iOS device. Previously, Apple's in-store Reuse &...

Nike is said to be trimming its Fuelband team as the company moves its efforts away from hardware in order to focus on its NikeFuel and Nike+ software. What is next for Nike for may be a partnership with Apple to produce a Nike fitness app that could pair with Apple's iWatch hardware, theorizes GigaOm.If Nike exits the physical wearable market, as now seems likely, Apple will be the primary...

Apple today was awarded a patent by the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (via AppleInsider) that describes technology to partially disable a phone when the user is driving. The patent details several different lockout mechanisms that block functions like texting and SMS in order to reduce distracted driving. U.S. Patent No. 8,706,143 describes two main methods to block select iPhone...

In advance of Earth Day, Apple overhauled its Environmental Responsibility website with new content that reconfirms the company's dedication to operate its business in a way that is best for the environment. The updated website features a new "Better" video narrated by Apple CEO Tim Cook that explains the company's environmentally friendly values. Keeping with this Earth Day theme, Lisa...

Apple today has added new channels from A&E Networks to its Apple TV, including A&E, The History Channel and Lifetime. Select Apple TV owners will be able to watch episodes from popular TV shows such as Duck Dynasty, Storage Wars, and Project Runway. These new channels on the Apple TV offer a preview to all users, but full content is only available to cable television subscribers....

Apple is expected to introduce a large-screened iPhone 6 with a 4.7-inch model arriving this fall and a 5.5-inch version debuting early next year. Though this large iPhone may cannibalize iPad mini sales, Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster does not believe this shift in sales will have a net effect on Apple, reports CNET. In a Monday note to investors, Munster argues that many iPhone owners ...

Samsung and Globalfoundries announced yesterday that the two companies will adopt the same chip production process as they upgrade their manufacturing facilities in preparation for the next generation mobile devices. (Via Wall Street Journal) This announcement adds credence to an earlier rumor that Apple was negotiating with GlobalFoundries to start making the A-Series chip in the company's...

Apple, Google and two other large technology companies should not be allowed to block evidence in an upcoming trial involving their participation in "no solicitation" agreements that date back to 2005. This request to expand the evidence presented in the trial was filed on behalf of tech workers who initiated the class action lawsuit in 2011, reports Reuters. In this latest filing, the...

Sales of Apple's iPad and iPhone remained strong during the holiday season with record quarterly sales reported in Q1 2014. Analyst predictions for Apple's second quarter of its fiscal year suggest iPhone sales may rise slightly, while iPad sales may decline slightly, reports Philip Elmer-DeWitt of Fortune's Apple 2.0 blog. The consensus estimate from 21 Wall Street professionals and 13...

Burberry chief executive Angela Ahrendts resigned last October from the British luxury fashion house to join Apple as the head of its retail division. According to The Guardian, Ahrendts is free to leave Burberry this month, having fulfilled her six-month notice period, but her actual exit date is not yet known. Ahrendts may be staying longer at Burberry to help smooth the transition over to...

Hyundai today announced that it will bring Apple's CarPlay technology to its Sonata automobile lineup starting next year. This introduction makes Hyundai the first volume automobile manufacturer to bring CarPlay to the market and leaves Honda as the only one of five brands featured by Apple as launching CarPlay support in 2014 yet to make a specific announcement. The first Hyundai...

Microsoft today started selling its Office 365 Personal subscription, a less expensive version of Office 365 that targets individual users. The cloud-based subscription service provides access to online versions of Microsoft's Office productivity suite, online storage in OneDrive and a block of Skype calling minutes. The new personal option allows subscribers to connect one PC or Mac...

Recent reports suggest Amazon may be preparing a smartphone with 3D capabilities to compete with Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Galaxy handsets. New details from BGR and TechCrunch shed some light on this 3D feature and possibly provide us with our first look at the phone, which is partially hidden inside a case. According to BGR, multiple sources claim the phone will include a 4.7-inch...

In line with earlier reports, Pioneer today announced it is bringing Apple's CarPlay technology to its existing product line. CarPlay will be added to the company's five 2014 NEX in-dash multimedia receivers via a firmware update that will be made available in early summer 2014. “Pioneer’s years of expertise integrating smartphone connectivity into the automotive environment has provided us...

Microsoft has added support for Apple's Passbook passes in Windows Phone 8.1, which was released today as a developer preview. Microsoft announced this latest version of Windows Phone earlier this month and equipped the mobile OS with digital assistant and Siri competitor, Cortana. As noticed by Tom Warren of The Verge and reported by iMore, Microsoft has created a method that takes the data...

T-Mobile is kicking off a new campaign targeting overage fees as part of its ongoing Uncarrier initiative that aims to disrupt the wireless industry in the U.S. Starting in May, the U.S. carrier is eliminating overage charges for all its customers regardless of their cellular plan. The wireless carrier also challenges its competitors to do the same. With this move, T-Mobile is abolishing...

Apple is negotiating with wireless carriers to raise the price of the iPhone 6 by $100, claims Jefferies analyst Peter Misek (Via StreetInsider). Carriers initially are refusing to negotiate on the iPhone's $199 base price, but they may not be able to resist as the iPhone 6 is shaping up to be 2014's blockbuster handset. "The possibility may at first seem far-fetched in light of investor concerns ...

After collaborating with patent buying company Intellectual Ventures to purchase Kodak patents in 2012, Apple is now rebuffing offers by IV to invest in is latest patent acquisition fund, reports Reuters. Though both Apple and Intel have declined to participate, rivals Microsoft and Sony have been persuaded to contribute to a new round of patent buying. "Microsoft and Sony's investments give IV...

London-based streaming-music service Bloom.fm says it has been blocked from advertising on Apple's iAd network because it is a threat to the Cupertino company's iTunes radio, reports CNET. Similar to iTunes Radio, Bloom.fm offers genre and artist-based streaming radio stations with a library of over 22 million tracks. "We were surprised at Apple's decision to ban us from their iAd network as...

Don Melton has a long history with Steve Jobs and Apple, working at NeXT and then moving to Apple where he is known for his work on Safari and WebKit. To commemorate Steve Jobs' birthday earlier this year, Melton recounted his memorable encounters with Jobs in a post he recently published on his blog. Melton was not a confidant of Jobs, just an employee who had the opportunity to be around the ...