Electronics, Gadgets | featured news

BlackBerry is reporting an outage affecting users in Europe, Middle East and Africa - interrupting service for customers on the very day Apple Inc. unveiled its hot new iPhone 5.

In a now familiar global ritual, Apple fans jammed shops from Sydney to Paris to pick up the tech juggernaut's latest iPhone. Eager buyers formed long lines Friday at Apple Inc. stores in Asia, Europe and North America to be the first to get their hands on the latest version of the smartphone.

...Apple released an update to its iPhone and iPad operating system on Wednesday that replaces Google Maps with Apple's own application. Early upgraders are reporting that the new maps are less detailed, look weird and misplace landmarks... One Twitter user quipped that the lines of people queuing up to buy the iPhone 5 on Friday will be shorter, because the buyers will be misled by the new Maps.

Wal-Mart Stores Inc. is phasing out the sale of Amazon.com's Kindle Fire tablet and Kindle e-readers, the second major retailer to stop offering the items in six months... Retailers are trying to fight a growing practice called "showrooming." That's when shoppers, armed with smartphones, browse products in physical stores and then shop online for a better price.

Samsung Electronics Co. said Thursday it anticipates accusing Apple Inc. of patent infringement over the iPhone 5, in a U.S. court case separate from the one that grabbed worldwide attention last month.

Even if you’re not planning to upgrade your iPhone to the iPhone 5, that doesn’t mean you have to sit out the smartphone refresh fun. Apple’s going to release the next version of its operating system, iOS 6, to the public Wednesday, which will come with an improved version of Siri, a new mapping app and calling features, such as the ability to set a “do not disturb” period.

Shares of Apple moved above $700 for the first time ever Tuesday morning, boosted by a strong reception for the latest version of its popular iPhone.

Demand for Apple Inc's new iPhone 5 has exceeded initial supply as the company booked 2 million orders in one day and pushed the delivery date for some preorders to next month.

Thank Google Glass for giving us some new insights about Diane von Furstenberg. Last week the 62-year-old designer sent Google’s high-tech spectacles down the runway during her Spring 2013 runway show. Models wore white and pink glasses that filmed as they walked, and the footage was used in the video above, along with excerpts von Furstenberg shot herself.

The next time you pause to watch TV -- anything from the morning news to a prime time drama -- try an experiment: Watch the show in its entirety without interacting with another device.