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LG G Watch will have a lot of features, one of them being water proof!

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LG has launched a microsite for its upcoming Android Wear-based smartwatch, the LG G Watch, showing off some of the device's main features.

The smartwatch, which was announced during Google's unveiling of Android Wear, will be water and dust resistant.

It will come in two colors - Stealth Black and Champagne Gold - and it will have a screen that's "always on," though LG doesn't go into details about what that means.

LG also points out that you can start voice commands by uttering "OK Google" to the device, which is expected since it's one of the standard features of Android Wear.

The pricing or the exact release date for the LG G Watch haven't been revealed. LG previously said the device would become available in the second quarter of 2014.

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LG G Watch Will Be Water and Dust Resistant

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LG has launched a microsite for its upcoming Android Wear-based smartwatch, the LG G Watch, showing off some of the device's main features. The smartwatch, which was announced during Google's unveiling of Android Wear, will be water and dust resistant.

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A 3D Printer can tattoo you!

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Ink junkies, take note- a machine could create your future tattoos.

Three French design students modified a MakerBot 3D printer to administer tattoos. One lucky volunteer is now the proud bearer of the world's first 3D-printed tattoo - a perfect circle on his forearm.

Pierre Emm, Piotr Widelka and Johan Da Silveira modified the printer as part of a challenge from France's Cultural Ministry and hosted through design school ENSCI Les Ateliers. For the challenge, the students had eight hours to create a project that remixes images, videos and sounds found in the public domain.

Though the original project used only a pen to create a temporary tattoo, the students worked in their spare time to create a printer that would create permanent tattoos.

The trio tested their machine using artificial skin before finding a volunteer and using a Scooter inner tube to the hold the skin taut.

A tutorial detailing the building process can be found online at Instructables.

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A 3D Printer Could Be Your Future Tattoo Artist [VIDEO]

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Ink junkies, take note- a machine could create your future tattoos. Three French design students modified a MakerBot 3D printer to administer tattoos. One lucky volunteer is now the proud bearer of the world's first 3D-printed tattoo - a perfect circle on his forearm.

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Spiderman's web shooter has come to real life!

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A German laser-weapons hobbyist has put together a Spider-Man-inspired web shooter that shoots a harpoon-tipped fishing line instead of a liquid web.

Patrick Priebe, who's no stranger to making real-life versions of superhero powers (he also created a pair of X-Men Cyclops glasses) - has created a wrist gadget that can shoot projectiles, and he designed it to resemble the one a certain Peter Parker sometimes wears.

To bring this to life, Priebe created a web shooter that is actually a coil gun that wraps around the wrist. A coil gun is a projectile accelerator that uses metallic coils to shoot objects through electromagnetism. He then slipped on a Spiderman-themed glove to enhance the full effect.

His creation coincides with the debut of the Spider-Man 2 film in Germany this weekend.

There are three buttons under the device - for charging, the aiming laser and the trigger - and it runs on a single lithium-polymer battery.

In a video posted to YouTube, Priebe takes aim on a block of Styrofoam across the room. When he pulls the web shooter's trigger, the block falls. At one point, Priebe "webs" the Styrofoam with a retractable fishing line and then pulls the block toward him - similar to what Spider-Man sometimes does when he wants to catch bad guys like the Scorpion.

Priebe, who has a background in chemistry with a day job as a lab technician, says he makes "laser gadgets" like this in his free time for fun.

"I love science fiction in general and sometimes, seeing this type of technology on the screen just isn't enough," Priebe told Mashable. "I've made a few coil guns before, so I used the same principles of physics and it was much more simple to make this time around."

He says he has no plans to sell his version of the web shooter.

Justice League Cars Will Make You Geek Out

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This Fan-Made Spider-Man Web Shooter Really Works

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A German laser-weapons hobbyist has put together a Spider-Man-inspired web shooter that shoots a harpoon-tipped fishing line instead of a liquid web. Patrick Priebe, who's no stranger to making real-life versions of superhero powers (he also created a pair of X-Men Cyclops glasses) - has created a wrist gadget that can shoot projectiles, and he designed it to resemble the one a certain Peter Parker sometimes wears.

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Apple TV is possibly going to have Siri

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Image: Mashable. Christina Ascani

"Siri, play Game of Thrones."

This could soon be a reality, according to recent reports that suggest Apple may be bringing its digital assistant to the Apple TV.

A line of code found in Apple's iOS 7.1 software development kit indicates Apple may have plans to add Siri functionality to its set-top box.

The code, which was first reported by 9to5Mac includes references to an "assistant," Apple's code name for Siri, according to 9to5, under features listed for the Apple TV.

Screen caps of the code, which is reportedly in files for both iOS 7.1 and 7.1.1, list 'assistant' as one of the properties that will be included in device family "3," which is Apple's designation for the Apple TV line.

It's not yet clear what Siri integration in Apple TV might look like or how exactly it would work, though voice controls would likely be integrated into the device's remote.

Rumors a refreshed Apple TV is in the works have been circulating for some time now. Apple CEO Tim Cook further fueled speculation earlier this year when he announced the company was refocusing the Apple TV by giving the product line its own section on Apple's website. Previously, the Apple TV was listed as a "hobby."

Adding Siri functionality may also signal attempts by Apple to make its set-top box more competitive with Amazon's recently-announced Fire TV, which already includes voice commands.

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"Siri, play Game of Thrones." This could soon be a reality, according to recent reports that suggest Apple may be bringing its digital assistant to the Apple TV. A line of code found in Apple's iOS 7.1 software development kit indicates Apple may have plans to add Siri functionality to its set-top box.

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Facebook introduces a feature that helps friends track each other.

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Your phone always knows where you are. And now, if you want, your Facebook friends will always know where you are, too.

Facebook is introducing a mobile feature called Nearby Friends that taps into that steady stream of location information so friends can track each other in real time.

The idea is to make it easy for people to meet up in real life, so they can have conversations in person instead of comment threads, temporarily replacing Likes and LOLs with eye contact and actual laughter. A live meet-up is also an excellent opportunity to grab a selfie with your pal and upload it to the Facebook owned Instagram.

In a refreshing change, the new Nearby Friends feature is not turned on by default.

Friends will not be able to see where you are unless you decide live-tracking is something you want in your life and visit Facebook's settings to turn it on. Making a potentially invasive new feature opt-in suggests Facebook has perhaps learned from some of its past mistakes and privacy problems.

You can choose to share your general location with all your Facebook friends, close friends or a customized list of people you feel most comfortable with. Further minimizing the potential stalking factor, your location is only shared with other people who are also using the feature and who have chosen to share their location with you.

When turned on, Nearby Friends shows a list of approved Facebook friends who also use the feature and shows their approximate location. A push notification can tell you how many of your friends are nearby. Open the app to see a list of pals, the neighborhood or city where they are, how many miles away that is from your current location, and a time stamp of when they where there.

There is an option to share your exact location with specific friends, which can be handy for coordinating large groups at concerts or finding someone in a crowded area. Your friends will see a little image of your face on a map for a set period of time.

Nearby Friends will be available on Facebook's iOS and Android apps, but will only work for select locations at first.

Facebook, Instagram and many other apps already include features that let people "check-in" to locations, but those location features are different because you decide if and when to share each specific location. You might check into a Starbucks downtown, but never into your home or other spot you'd rather keep private. Nearby Friends is continuously gathering details about where you are in the background instead of waiting for a manual check-in.

This is not the first time an app has used location information to physically connect friends. Similar apps such as Highlight, which got a flurry of attention in 2012, mapped out the locations of nearby strangers. Facebook also purchased a startup in 2012 called Glancee that also connected strangers. That technology evolved into this new, more private feature.

If you turn on the Nearby Friends feature, Facebook starts collecting data on your exact location and keeps details on where you've been in the past, not just places where you've used its app to check in. It also collects location information even when the Facebook app is closed.

But you can turn off this location history in the Facebook app's settings. It's possible to delete individual locations from a history, or clear the whole thing and start from scratch.

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facebook launches friend-tracking feature - cnn

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Your phone always knows where you are. And now, if you want, your Facebook friends will always know where you are, too. Facebook is introducing a mobile feature called Nearby Friends that taps into that steady stream of location information so friends can track each other in real time.

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An Amazon Phone is close

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After more than two years of hints and leaks, the long-awaited Amazon phone appears to be almost ready for its debut.

The device has been a prime example of "vaporware," the term for rumored tech gadgets that everybody loves talking about despite the fact they don't officially exist. And Amazon has never confirmed that it's making a smartphone.

But the drumbeat is getting louder, and recent reports suggest the handset will hit the market soon.

That followed a report from The Wall Street Journal that Amazon will roll out the phone by June and it will be on sale by September.

Both articles say the phone will include a groundbreaking technology: a screen that uses four cameras to produce hologram-like 3-D images without the need for special glasses.

In the BGR photos, the phone is cloaked in a protective shell that hides details of its design. The blog did not say how it acquired those images, but reported speaking with "multiple trusted sources." In the past, BGR has accurately reported details about unannounced Amazon products like its Kindle Fire tablets and Kindle e-readers.

The 3-D model is one of two phones Amazon plans to announce, the reports say, the other being a cheaper, less fancy one.

The company that made its name in online retailing has been working on the phone for several years, according to reports. And, indeed, rumors of its existence have been floating around since at least 2011.

Amazon was long thought of primarily as a website. But since the success of its e-reader, the Kindle, the company has increasingly become known for its hardware, too. The original Kindle in 2007 was followed by the Kindle Fire tablet and, most recently, by Amazon Fire TV, a device that streams Web content to your television.

With the Fire TV, Amazon has reaffirmed its products as competitors to similar hardware from Apple and Google, as well as more targeted companies like Roku and TiVo.

It makes sense that a phone would follow. And Amazon appears to have chosen to take its time to roll out something unique instead of just jumping into a crowded market dominated by the iPhone and a small handful of handsets running Google's Android operating system.

"Congratulations to Amazon.com for thinking outside the box. If this is a hit it could be great news for both Amazon.com and their customers," wireless analyst Jeff Kagan said. "It could be another Kindle-like business."

But that success isn't guaranteed, even with Amazon's expansive resources behind it, he said in a media release.

"Some companies like Apple, Google and Samsung are very successful in the smartphone space. However many more companies are trying with very little success," Kagan added. "The next biggest player is Microsoft Nokia and they only have a few percent market share."

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reports say an amazon phone is close - cnn

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After more than two years of hints and leaks, the long-awaited Amazon phone appears to be almost ready for its debut. The device has been a prime example of "vaporware," the term for rumored tech gadgets that everybody loves talking about despite the fact they don't officially exist.

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Apple launched an event to celebrate Earth's Day!

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It's time to finally get rid of that old iPhone. You can now recycle your Apple gear -- and maybe event get a little something back -- under a new program that Apple has just launched to commemorate Earth Day. As the Associated Press reported, Apple will recycle all their old products for free and offer some gift cards for the products that are in a condition fit for resale.

The company has long offered recycling in select Apple store locations, but now the program is rolling out to every store. Of course, users can also look to other recycling options or resell services to dispose of old gadgets, but Apple's program offers a fairly painless way to get rid of your e-junk.

The move is part of a wider Earth Day push from the firm to tout its efforts to be more green -- a philosophy it encapsulated with a short film about its sustainability efforts released on Monday. The video, which came with a narration by none other than Apple chief executive Tim Cook, also discussed the company's broader goal of making everything "better."

There's little doubt that Apple has improved its reputation on environmental issues and sustainability since Cook took over the company in 2011 after the death of co-founder Steve Jobs. Under Cook, the company has made efforts to have its stores, data centers and corporate buildings run on renewable energy. According to the Apple Web site, 73 percent of the energy for its facilities comes from renewable sources.

Cook also hired Lisa Jackson, former administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, to be its vice president of environmental initiatives.

Those efforts -- particularly the move to get Apple data centers running on renewable energy -- have at least partially changed the mind of Greenpeace, formerly one of the company's fiercest critics. In its latest report, the environmental group said that Apple and Facebook are among the Internet companies doing the most to promote a clean cloud. Apple, the report said, "has helped set a new bar for the industry."

Still, Apple acknowledged that it has more room for improvement on green issues. For example, the firm reported that it produced a carbon footprint of 33.8 million metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions in 2013, the bulk of which comes from its manufacturing process. In fact, the company's own study found that its carbon emissions went up nine percent after reevaluating how it measured emissions from its aluminum use alone.

"We're committed to reducing our greenhouse gas emissions and will continue using our life cycle analysis to drive that change," the firm said in a statement on its Web site.

While most of the green evangelism coming from Cupertino this week is pretty feel-good, there is one element of it that definitely has an edge. Apple also took an Earth Day opportunity to call out its top competitor, Samsung.

The two rivals are embroiled in the latest round of an intellectual property legal brawl in which both companies have accused each other of copying proprietary designs and infringing on company patents. In full-page newspaper ads that appeared across the country, Apple challenged Samsung to make some green improvements of its own.

Or, as Apple put it: "There are some ideas we want every company to copy."

Meow.

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Apple's feel-good Earth Day campaign still includes a dig at Samsung

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It's time to finally get rid of that old iPhone. You can now recycle your Apple gear -- and maybe event get a little something back -- under a new program that Apple has just launched to commemorate Earth Day.

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Apple wants to reduce the carbon footprint they produce.

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Cybersecurity | Mobile Tech | IT Management | Cloud Services
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Visit ALL EC today.

In honor of this year's Earth Day, celebrated Tuesday, Apple is showcasing its efforts to lessen its carbon footprint and become more environmentally sustainable as part of its 'Better' Campaign.

The company released new promotional material, including a video narrated by Tim Cook, that outlines its commitment to increasing energy efficiency in an effort to reduce its impact on climate change.

Apple wants to leave the world "better than we found it," says Cook.

The campaign focuses on Apple's efforts to increase the energy efficiency of its devices, to ethically source materials, to recycle more of its products and to work toward the goal of powering its data centers and its campus with 100 percent renewable energy (right now it is at about 94 percent, a significant jump from 35 percent in 2010).

The company is especially reliant on solar energy, particularly at its new data center in Yerington, Nev., which features a massive solar farm.

Apple's Influence

Apple touts its position as a green leader in the tech space. One print ad includes a dig at Samsung: "There are some ideas we want everyone to copy."

Going forward, Apple Retail Stores will expand their recycling operations. In addition to accepting used Apple products, they will hold special events when consumers may bring in competitors' products for recycling.

Apple has made significant strides in environmental sustainability in its U.S. operations, and other companies should emulate its efforts, said Harvey Bryan, professor and senior sustainability scientist at Arizona State University's Global Institute of Sustainability.

"Apple is doing really good things with renewable energy, particularly with using solar energy on some of its new buildings," he told TechNewsWorld. "The company understands the problem and are doing things to mitigate that, which is more than you can say for some corporations of its size."

Always Room for Improvement

However, Apple still has a way to go before it can claim it's the most environmentally sustainable company in the industry, Bryan added.

"You could say now that Apple is one of the leaders in this space, but it's certainly not at the front of the pack. Google, for one, seems to understand that the demand for power is growing rapidly, and is beginning to assemble companies like Nest that could help it be a power provider," he observed.

"If Nest can help it power household appliances, Google can actually wield power and help offset the load on more traditional power facilities. The demand for a smart power model like that is growing, and Google is there investing in that," Bryan pointed out.

Further steps for Apple could include reducing the carbon footprint at its data centers and updating office heating and cooling systems, which are two of its largest energy guzzlers, according to A.Vaidyanathan, founder and principal consultant at Cleantech Consultants.

"For data centers, Apple could optimize its cooling load substantially by relocating data centers, redesigning the cooling systems -- for instance, with natural cooling or sea water cooling -- or exploring geothermal cooling options," he told TechNewsWorld.

Apple's current efforts with the Better campaign and its commitment to further change should be applauded, Bryan said. Still, with a stack of cash and significant global influence, the company has the power to invest in much more research and development that could have a huge influence worldwide.

"There are some dual standards in this industry, so while Apple is doing some wonderful things here, it could also expand those efforts in places like China," he suggested. ""With the resources that Apple has, it could actually be nurturing some investments internally ... and then expanding those efforts to its global operations."

Rachelle Dragani is a freelance reporter based in Brooklyn, NY. She enjoys staying on top of e-commerce deals, reporting on what new gadget is coming your way, and keeping tabs on anyone trying to hack into your info. Feel free to e-mail her at rachelle.dragani@newsroom.ectnews.com. You can also connect with her on Google+.

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In honor of this year's Earth Day, celebrated Tuesday, Apple is showcasing its efforts to lessen its carbon footprint and become more environmentally sustainable as part of its 'Better' Campaign. The company released new promotional material, including a video narrated by Tim Cook, that outlines its commitment to increasing energy efficiency in an effort to reduce its impact on climate change.

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A chinese company created a 3D printed house, very expensive and easy to construct.

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Chinese Company Creates 3D-Printed Houses | Tech Blog | TechNewsWorld

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Shanghai WinSun Decoration Design Engineering, a Shanghai-based company, has created 10 3D-printed houses. Each house reportedly cost less than $5,000 and took less than 24 hours to construct. The printer used to create the homes was about 100 feet long, 33 feet wide and more than 20 feet tall.

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Apple will probably be working on iWatch!

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Image: Mashable, Christina Ascani

Layoffs at Nike's FuelBand unit took many by surprise when the news broke Friday, a move that has further fueled speculation that Apple may be working with the sports-apparel maker to develop an iWatch.

A CNET report described the first rumblings of trouble at Nike's wearable-tech unit on April 9. Soon after, an anonymous post appeared on Secret, which said much of the FuelBand staff had been dumped; that was followed by another story on Friday that claimed the same.

But if a follow-up statement from Nike is any indication, reports of the FuelBand's demise could be premature.

"We will continue to improve the Nike+ FuelBand app, launch new METALUXE colors, and we will sell and support the Nike+ FuelBand SE for the foreseeable future," a company spokesperson told Mashable on Friday.

To Nike's credit, the company did post a Twitter message just days before CNET's Friday report, touting the latest version of the FuelBand.

Spring style alert: Rose Gold is in. http://t.co/XqWiCFFBqF pic.twitter.com/dGw4sEBzav

- NikeFuel (@NikeFuel) April 16, 2014

The reason so much attention is being focused on the future of the FuelBand likely has a lot to do with its pedigree. It's made by Nike, a brand many would argue sits atop its industry as the Apple of sports apparel. it's universally admired, known for its aspirational marketing campaigns and logo, which has become a mark of quality.

The fact that Nike might fail in its efforts to pioneer the wearable-tech space is troubling, particularly for other would-be wearable-device makers, and even more so when you consider how attractive the FuelBand is, showing up on the wrists of celebrities and top-tier CEOs alike.

Image: Bebeto Matthews/Associated Press

Whether it's the device's somewhat high price tag for an accessory ($149 at launch), the mostly bad reviews on Amazon that question the efficacy of Nike's FuelBand point system, or the dozens of competing wearable devices at lower prices, the bottom line is that the FuelBand hasn't caught on. And that, in turn, fed into the initial report of layoffs-as-the-end-of-FuelBand - despite denials from Nike.

In the wake of the FuelBand-layoff reports, some are pointing to Nike's close relationship with Apple (Tim Cook sits on Nike's board) as evidence that the companies are working together to develop a wearable computing device.

Reactions to the layoffs across Twitter reveal mostly surprise that Nike might ditch the FuelBand. But for many industry observers, all signals point to an Apple iWatch.

THEORY: Apple, being tight with Nike, was like, "Hey try this out for us. We wanna see what the market is like." FuelBand. Born, killed.

- Sam Sheffer (@samsheffer) April 19, 2014

Nike shutting down fuelband should read: Apple gearing up iWatch launch

- Tom Hatton (@tomrefme) April 19, 2014

Whoa... this is kind of surprising. Nike cutting the FuelBand? Is this because of Apple? http://t.co/5RpxIUCICO via @cpen

- Veronica Belmont (@Veronica) April 19, 2014

Nike EXITS Wearable Business - No more FuelBand - Concedes the market to Apple and Samsung $AAPL and $GOOG $NKE

- Steve Mahoney (@SteveMahoney_) April 19, 2014

Like folks are saying. If Nike knows what Apple is coming out with hardware wise, they probably got message it's time to move out of the biz

- Nate Jones (@JonesOnTheNBA) April 19, 2014

Nike shuts down whole fuelband division. Sounds like disaster by execs. I think converse stores also a disaster. I had high hopes-wrong $nke

- howardlindzon (@howardlindzon) April 19, 2014

Goodbye NIKE Fuelband. Related: Influencers everywhere question how they will advertise their influence. http://t.co/nY07U0kvoy

- Noah Callahan-Bever (@N_C_B) April 19, 2014

Wow, Nike canceling the Fuelband? Tim Cook serves on Nike's board, and the iWatch is expected in 2014. Ultimatum? Partnership? Coincidence?

- Ryan Block (@ryan) April 19, 2014

But despite the surprise expressed by many in reaction to the layoffs, for longtime conspiracy theorists, the biggest signal that the end of the FuelBand might lead to an iWatch came last year, when Apple snatched up FuelBand developer Jay Blahnik.

What's more, Cook's recent comments that Apple will soon enter a "new category" continue to drive rumors that we may soon see a wearable from the Cupertino, Calif. company. And now that we know the FuelBand's future is on the ropes, those iWatch rumors look even more realistic.

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Nike Layoffs Add Fuel to Apple iWatch Rumors

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Layoffs at Nike's FuelBand unit took many by surprise when the news broke Friday, a move that has further fueled speculation that Apple may be working with the sports-apparel maker to develop an iWatch. A CNET report described the first rumblings of trouble at Nike's wearable-tech unit on April 9.

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People like Apple better than Samsung.

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Over the last couple weeks, many of my colleagues in the tech press have published reviews of the Galaxy S5, Samsung's newest top-of-the-line smartphone. They all arrived at more or less the same conclusion: The S5 is a very nice device.

Although it offers no spectacular advances over the previous version, Samsung seems to have done just enough with the S5 to stay ahead of every other Android phone maker. The only plausible competition comes in the form of the HTC One, which, as my colleague Molly Wood wrote, is prettier than the S5 but not as functional. The upshot of all these reviews is that if you're looking for the best Android phone, Samsung's is the one to buy.

But that's not the whole story. While there are probably some people who go out to shop for the best Android phone, I suspect that most people want to know which phone is best of all, whatever operating system it runs. In other words, how does the Galaxy S5 compare to the iPhone 5S, Apple's six-month-old flagship device and the champion to beat?

The answer: Not very well. I've been using the new Samsung for about three weeks, and while I do think it is the best Android phone you can buy, it sure isn't the best phone on the market. By just about every major measure you'll care about, from speed to design to ease of use to the quality of its apps, Samsung's phone ranks behind the iPhone, sometimes far behind. If you're looking for the best phone on the market right now, I'd recommend going with the iPhone 5S.

This is not to say you'll hate the Galaxy; as everyone says, it's a great phone, and if you buy it you'll be fine. The Galaxy does have slightly longer battery life than the iPhone, and it is waterproof, an unusual feature among top-end phones.

To me, though, these two advantages are slight. Indeed, for many people, there will only be a single obvious reason to buy the Galaxy S5 over the iPhone 5S: The Samsung phone has a much bigger screen. Size isn't an objective advantage but rather a matter of preference - some people like big phones and some people like small ones. For the next few months, for big-phone lovers, Samsung's massive size will make it the clear winner.

Yet that points to a looming problem for Samsung. News reports and common sense suggest that Apple will almost certainly unveil a bigger iPhone later this year. If you assume that everything else about the iPhone-versus-Galaxy matchup will remain the same after the size increase, it means that Samsung will lose its single greatest advantage over Apple.

And what will Samsung do then? When you compare the Galaxy to the iPhone, it's not obvious that Samsung will have any real way to fight back once Apple makes a bigger phone.

I don't mean to sound glib. But in many ways, the battle for smartphone supremacy is a pretty simple fight. Apple makes at least two thirds of the profit in the smartphone business, and Samsung makes about the other third. No one else makes any money selling smartphones, so any gain for Apple is a loss for Samsung, and vice versa.

In recent years, the growth rate for iPhone sales has slowed down. This is partly because, when it comes to expensive phones, consumer preferences appear to have shifted in favor of big phones - and Samsung has been more nimble than Apple at responding to the demand. Apple highlighted this fact in a sales presentation recently disclosed as part of its patent-infringement fight against Samsung. "Consumers want what we don't have," the document stated, noting that most of the growth in the profitable segment of the smartphone business had been in phones with screens larger than the iPhone's 4-inch display.

But as my management-consultant friends say, the flip side of a problem is an opportunity. If Apple's major shortcoming is a too-small phone, all it has to do is make its phone larger. Making a larger phone isn't trivial, but it is a relatively easy fix. Apple has done it well before - two years ago, it put out the iPhone 5, which had a screen just a bit taller than its predecessor - and I suspect it can easily manage the transition once more.

Samsung's problems, meanwhile, will be more difficult to address, as you can tell by spending some time with the S5. One of its major new features is a fingerprint-sensor meant to let you unlock your phone without typing a passcode, a feature Apple introduced on the iPhone 5S last year. I don't fault Samsung for copying Apple's fingerprint idea, just as I won't fault Apple for copying Samsung when it makes a bigger phone. Fingerprint unlocking is a good idea, and more phones should have it.

But I do fault Samsung for the slipshod manner in which it introduced fingerprint scanning. I've been using the iPhone's fingerprint sensor for the last six months, and it has worked about nine times out of 10 for me. The Galaxy S5's finger sensor is unusable. It has failed to recognize my finger just about every time I have tried it. It has been so terrible that the sensor feels more like a marketing gimmick than a legitimate feature. And it makes me wonder about Samsung's capacity to keep up with Apple's innovations.

So, too, does the Galaxy's speed. The S5 is really fast, but the iPhone 5S is faster. While the speed won't be a big deal to most users (you'll mainly notice it in games and web browsing), it does point to a problem for Samsung. The rapid increase in year-by-year mobile chip performance has been a hallmark of the phone business for years. It's unusual in this industry for a new phone to be slower than a phone released six months ago. When Samsung's Galaxy S4 came out last year, it was much faster than the iPhone 5 that preceded it. But this year, Samsung couldn't keep up; as the speed-testing gurus at AnandTech showed, by just about every speed metric, the aging iPhone 5S beat the brand-new Galaxy S5.

Then there are the perennial problems for Samsung's devices. Like the S4, the S5 has a cheap-feeling plastic body, and it's hobbled by a proprietary software interface filled with byzantine menus and settings screens. You feel this complexity throughout the phone. Even in places where Samsung has introduced novel features that are better than Apple's - like some of its advanced camera features - they're buried in a user interface that makes them difficult to discover.

None of these problems are crippling for Samsung just yet. With its 5.1-inch screen, the Galaxy S5 is the best big phone you can buy, and it will be so for months. After that, though, Samsung's smartphone ascendance may look a bit uncertain.

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In the Battle for Best Smartphone, Apple Still Beats Samsung

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Over the last couple weeks, many of my colleagues in the tech press have published reviews of the Galaxy S5, Samsung's newest top-of-the-line smartphone. They all arrived at more or less the same conclusion: The S5 is a very nice device.

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Google users will be able to add media more quickly!

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Image: DaveLawler, Flickr

Google users who back up their smartphone and tablet photos on Google+ will be able to add them to Gmail messages much more quickly.

Now, you can insert an assortment of pictures or photo albums directly into email, resize them within the message and make sharing with friends and family less of a time-consuming process overall.

The catch, of course, is that you have to use Google+'s Auto Backup feature for photos.

Google launched a new feature on Monday within the "Insert Photo" button on the bottom of Gmail messages that brings up photos backed up from mobile devices.

After selecting the button, a grid of photos pops up that allows you to select photos or entire albums to add to emails.

You can also resize images while creating a message by dragging the corners to find the size you want.

Not everyone has the new feature yet, but Google said it's rolling out to all accounts on Tuesday. If you aren't backing up photos via Google+ or you don't use the platform at all, this might actually be a good reason to take the platform and tool out for a spin.

To turn on Auto Backup, click here.

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Gmail Makes Sending Mobile Photos Much Easier

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Google users who back up their smartphone and tablet photos on Google+ will be able to add them to Gmail messages much more quickly. Now, you can insert an assortment of pictures or photo albums directly into email, resize them within the message and make sharing with friends and family less of a time-consuming process overall.

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Amazon's appstore broke the record of apps!

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Image: Stephen Brashear/Invision/Associated Press

Amazon's Appstore almost tripled in size in the past year, growing to include more than 200,000 apps, the company's CEO Jeff Bezos announced.

Bezos revealed the latest numbers for Amazon's app marketplace in a letter to shareholders in which he outlined the company's progress for the past year.

"The Amazon Appstore now serves customers in almost 200 countries," Bezos wrote. "Selection has grown to include over 200,000 apps and games from top developers around the globe - nearly tripling in size over the past year."

He credited the Appstore's growth, in part, to a series of new features to make it easier for developers to create apps. The company has been trying to attract more developers to its Appstore by offering incentives like its Developer Select program, which helps developers make their apps more discoverable and Amazon Coins, a virtual currency that makes it easier for users to make in-app purchases at discounts.

Last week, the company announced it would offer 1,000 free coins to customers who purchase Amazon's new Fire TV set-top box.

Amazon's Appstore first launched in 2011 with 38,000 apps. But even with its recent growth, it's still relatively tiny compared to the iOS App Store and Google Play Store - both of which topped 1 million apps last year.

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Amazon Appstore Hits 200,000 Apps, Almost Tripling in 1 Year

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Amazon's Appstore almost tripled in size in the past year, growing to include more than 200,000 apps, the company's CEO Jeff Bezos announced. Bezos revealed the latest numbers for Amazon's app marketplace in a letter to shareholders in which he outlined the company's progress for the past year.

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Some new laptops may catch fire!

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HONG KONG - Sony on Friday warned of the potential for batteries to burn or catch fire in some of its new Vaio laptop computers and asked owners of the units in question to stop using them immediately.

Sony said there have been three reports so far of problems with the internal batteries of its new Vaio Fit 11A, a laptop that converts into a tablet, where overheating resulted in partial burns to the housing of the unit.

It is not the first time that Sony has had issues with batteries overheating. In 2006, computer makers, including Dell and Apple, launched high-profile recalls of millions of laptops after it emerged that their batteries, which were made by Sony, were at risk of overheating and catching fire.

The current problem appears much smaller by comparison, and the batteries in question were not manufactured by Sony.

Since it was launched in February, Sony has shipped about 26,000 units of the affected model to 52 countries and regions, including 7,158 units to Europe, 3,619 to Japan, 2,088 to China, 6,930 to the rest of the Asia-Pacific region, 5,613 to Latin America and 497 units to North America.

In its statement, Sony said not all of the 11As appear to be affected, but only certain units that used nondetachable internal battery packs sourced from an unnamed third-party supplier. The product name written on the housing of the defective units begins with SVF11N1 and is followed by four additional letters or numbers.

Anyone whose computer matches this description should "immediately discontinue use, shut down and unplug the PC," Sony said. The company said it would develop a program within the next two weeks to repair or replace the affected units free of charge, or to refund the purchase price. "We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause," it said.

The first reported cases of overheating and burns caused by the batteries took place in Nagano, Japan, on March 19, and in Hong Kong on March 30, prompting Sony to stop shipments of the unit on April 1, Daiichi Yamafuji, a spokesman for Sony, said on Friday. A third case that took place in China on Tuesday is being investigated, Mr. Yamafuji added.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B2 of the New York edition with the headline: Sony Says Batteries Could Catch Fire in Laptops. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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Sony Warns Some New Laptop Batteries May Catch Fire

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HONG KONG - Sony on Friday warned of the potential for batteries to burn or catch fire in some of its new Vaio laptop computers and asked owners of the units in question to stop using them immediately.

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Google will make new, thinner modular smartphones!

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Google released its first set of guidelines for developers hoping to participate in Project Ara, the company's platform for building modular smartphones. The first version of Project Ara's Module Development Kit was released Wednesday.

The idea behind Project Ara, first unveiled in October by the company's Advanced Technology and Projects (ATAP) Group, which is technically still part of Motorola, is to create a platform where any given part of a smartphone is its own module that can be replaced independently so users can completely customize the look of their device.

Google has already revealed the modular phones will come in small, medium and large sizes. The development kit includes guidelines detailing the requirements for individual components of the phones like processors and batteries.

"This is a very early version, but our goals are to give the developer community an opportunity to provide feedback and input, and to help us ensure that the final MDK - anticipated at the end of 2014 - is elegant, flexible and complete," Paul Eremenko, Google's head of Project Ara, said in a blog post.

The release comes just ahead of the first Project Ara Developer's Conference, which will be held next week in Mountain View, Calif. At the conference, developers will have a chance to provide feedback on the development kit and learn more about what features Google has planned for the platform.

The entire conference will also be live streamed for developers who wish to participate remotely.

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Google Moves One Step Closer to Modular Smartphones

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Google released its first set of guidelines for developers hoping to participate in Project Ara, the company's platform for building modular smartphones. The first version of Project Ara's Module Development Kit was released Wednesday.