Bryan Chaffin

Wave Hoax Ad Designed to Look Like an Apple Ad Most people reading an article like mine will know you can't microwave a phone of any sort, and that Apple didn't announce any such technology as “Wave.” Remember, however, that the vast majority of people don't read Apple-centric or tech-centric websites. Being technically savvy is…

Google Chairman Eric Schmidt ALEC is known in the political world for advocating for free markets (i.e. deregulation), low taxes, the privatization of prisons and schools, stand your ground laws, and for generally resisting any and all efforts by local, state, and federal government to support, require, or encourage renewable energy or other climate-oriented legislation.…

The Wall Street Journal announced Friday that Apple CEO Cook would headline its inaugural WSJDLive conference, the apparent successor to D, the conference that was headed by tech journalist luminaries Walt Mossberg and Kara Swisher. Mr. Cook will be interviewed at the event, which takes place from October 27-29 at the Montage in Laguna Beach,…

Earlier on Tuesday, Blue Microphones announced—finally—Mo-Fi, professional quality headphones for audiophiles and musicians. The company gave us this maddening, teasing not-quite-a-glimpse back at CES in January, and I've been waiting eagerly since. Fortunately, Blue gave me early access to them, and this review is based on hands-on and ears-on testing for the last two weeks.…

Blue Mo-Fi Over-the-Ear Headphones The four bar linkage system (Blue has a patent pending on it) is a key aspect of why these headphones are different. In addition to eliminating stress points common to most spring-loaded headbands, it also serves to keep the cups snug against your ear. With thick padding and adjustable tension, they…

The relevant passage from SB-962: Any smartphone that is manufactured on or after July 1, 2015, and sold in California after that date, shall include a technological solution at the time of sale, to be provided by the manufacturer or operating system provider, that, once initiated and successfully communicated to the smartphone, can render the…

At issue is the reality that Chinese tech companies haven't developed their own operating systems that can compete with OS X, iOS, Windows, or Android. Not only does that result in billions of dollars flowing out of China (at least when piracy isn't involved), Chinese security services feel like it exposes the country to espionage…

Steve Ballmer, Clippers Owner Mr. Ballmer's letter largely serves as an endorsement for change at Microsoft, and there are times when one could read it as saying that Mr. Nadella needs a board fully committed to that change. The implication could be that Mr. Ballmer isn't the best instrument for achieving monumental changes—if so, it's…

It's a bunch of crap, of course, and this weekend Xiaomi demonstrated its commitment to proving it. Xiaomi gets compared to Apple for a number of reasons. Lei Jun, the company's founder and CEO dresses like Steve Jobs, for instance. He has a certain flare and a penchant for imitating Apple's media events and Steve…

It's a sad day for the Mac world, as Dr. Bott LLC announced on Thursday that the company is shutting its doors and liquidating its inventory. Dr. Bott is a reseller that specialized in distributing Mac and iPhone accessories companies in addition to selling some of its own products. Dr. Bott LLC is the U.S.…

According to the White House, “The bill not only restores the rights of consumers to unlock their phones, but ensures that they can receive help doing so if they lack the technological savvy to unlock on their own.” The idea of unlocking your mobile phone means that it can move to another network, though this…

TMO Artist's Rendering of the Event The incident took place in Elver Park in Madison, when a 20-year-old man was walking along the path and texting on his iPhone. According to an incident report published by the Madison Police Department, the iPhone owner was approached by a teenager from the other direction. The report described…

Bose wants an injunction prohibiting import of the infringing devices, financial compensation for past infringement. The Verge reported that the suit also seeks a complete accounting of, “all infringing sales and other infringing acts by Beats.” The patents in question involve noise cancelling properties in Beats Studio and Beats Studio Wireless headphones. Bose claimed in…

Apple announced on Thursday that Sue Wagner is joining its board of directors, while Silicon Valley legend Bill “Coach” Campbell is retiring. Ms. Wagner is a founding partner and a director at BlackRock, a Silicon Valley asset management firm, and she was named one of the 50 Most Powerful Women (#33) by Fortune in 2011.…

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadells Source: Microsoft From the letter: More recently, we have described ourselves as a 'devices and services' company. While the devices and services description was helpful in starting our transformation, we now need to hone in on our unique strategy. At our core, Microsoft is the productivity and platform company for the…

The two companies are fighting over terms of an agreement for Amazon to sell Hachette titles. This is the first contract from one of the Big 4 publishers to come up for renewal following a settlement two years ago between the publishers and the U.S. Department of Justice. As such, there's a lot on the…

Shopping for Apple Apple's board has also been quite stable. Hand-picked by the late Steve Jobs, four members have been served for more than ten years. Two of them—former Intuit CEO Bill “Coach” Campbell and current chairman and CEO of J. Crew Group Millard Drexler—have been there since shortly after Steve Jobs returned to Apple…

“Today marks another important milestone in Rhapsody’s 13-year history of pioneering new ways for music fans to find, discover and experience music,” Paul Springer, Senior Vice President of the Americas and Chief Product Officer of Rhapsody International, apparently oblivious to what the word “pioneering” means. “Finally,” he added, equally unfamiliar with that word's proper usage,…

After this news hit, Nuance shares closed higher on Monday at US$18.76 per share, a gain of $1.66 (+9.71 percent), on incredibly heavy volume of 16 million shares trading hand. Average volume was previously just 2.3 million shares. That sent Nuance's market cap up to $6 billion, and that's before the premium that would be…

Starting in December of 2013, Apple began pulling Bitcoin-related apps with wallet features, even if they were merely accessing Web-wallets such as Blockchain.info's service. At the time, I argued that Apple was making a big mistake, and that it was in the company's best interest to make iPhone into a premier Bitcoin platform. A change…

American corporations have more than a trillion dollars U.S. held offshore, in part because of the 35 percent tax rate that money would be subject to only when it is repatriated. Apple alone has more than $100 billion outside the U.S., and the company has borrowed money from bond markets in the U.S. and Europe…