Tech Services

As the mobile payments technology continues to emerge, several of the key players are banking on NFC , or Near Field Communication, to entice consumers to pay for merchandise and services with their smartphones. Google has their Google Wallet, Mastercard has their PayPass Wallet and Visa is pushing their V.me digital wallet service. But PayPal , who has been around over 10 years in the online payments arena, is now turning their attention to offline retailers and small business. According to PayPal executives, this market is 17 times larger than the online sector. They launched "PayPal Here" in March as a mobile payment solution that allows small business to accept almost any form of payment by using a free app and a small credit card reader for the iPhone and Android devices. PayPal, who now list 110 million users, recently announced on their blog that they have joined forces with VeriFone and Equinox, the number one and number three point-of-sale terminal manufact...

After using the new Yahoo! Axis search tool and browser for a while, I think it's worth exploring. But I'm not sure if it'll be a game changer for Internet searching and browsing. I installed the desktop version for the iMac and immediately noticed the search box in the lower left corner of my Safari browser window, along with icons for favorites and a home button. What's important here is that the search box is always there and waiting. You can say Google has the upper right corner of your browser window for searching and Yahoo! has the lower left corner for their search box. When you start a search, the difference between - let's say Google or Bing - and Yahoo! is that Axis give you miniature Web pages of your search results instead of links. A nice horizontal-scrolling pane of results appear across the bottom portion of your browser window. The Axis approach to search results is much more visually appealing than the other search-engine guys. You can als...

Now that we know Facebook has a market value of $104 billion, the next sixty-four thousand question for some of us will be should I buy stock. If you can answer that question successful, in several years you could be very rich. Or you could be the Facebook fan who lost their shirt. If you're thinking about it, maybe a closer look at this fairy-tale company will help sway your mind. There is a lot behind the simple "Like" button and your updates. Facebook has been around since 2004, when it was founded by current CEO Mark Zuckerberg, along with a few other Harvard University technology wizards. Who would have known that Zuckerberg, now a newlywed as of Saturday, would grow Facebook into one of the world's top social networking websites, which has around 11 offices in the United States, with main digs being in Menlo Park Calif., and 18 or more offices scattered around the globe. You'll probably be surprised to find out, that according to Facebook's w...

The first thing you'll usually look for is a Wi-Fi signal when you're out and about with all your digital devices. In most cases a data plan will take care of your Internet connection for your smartphone and maybe your tablet, but a strong Wi-Fi is generally preferred because it's faster and cheaper. I've found a good "on-the-go" Wi-Fi signal with the Franklin Wireless mobile hotspot that is available from C Spire Wireless . The first thing you'll notice about the Franklin mobile hotspot is the small size. I was expecting something about the size of the box, but was surprised to see a device less than one-fourth the size of the package it arrived in. It'll remind you of a small mobile phone and it's a handy size for carrying around. The light weight at 2.46 ounces is also a plus when transporting it in the carrying case that's included in the box. Overall, the Franklin mobile hotspot device is small, but it has quality feel to it. ...

As the International CTIA Wireless show was winding down, I left New Orleans with a feeling that I experienced the future of technology. It was happening all over the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center and let me tell you, that is one big place. I didn't take long to run into bumper-to-bumper traffic as I tried to make my way home and I had plenty of time to think about all the cool gadgets and software applications as I snaked along the interstate past the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. This was an international show and the guys from Japan, China, Germany, South America and other locations certainly had good technology to show off. I think their 20-hour-plus flights were worth the time and effort to share their innovative ideas with us. I didn't know much about them before, but I am now a fan of international tech companies like NTT Docomo and Huawei . I have an avatar coming via email, which was created by a couple of sharp guys with Docomo, whose 3D modeling applica...

The long-awaited Galaxy S III smartphone arrived on stage in London on Thursday. Samsung Electronics Co. is calling their newest device "a new concept" for smartphones that'll recognize your voice and understand your intentions to make everyday life easier. The Galaxy S III is running Android 4.0, also known as Ice Cream Sandwich, and sports a 8-megapixel rear camera, along with a 1.9 megapixel front-facing camera. The iPhone, which has a 3.5-inch display, will have to take a back seat to the 4.8-inch display on the Galaxy S III. The earlier Galaxy S II only had a 4.3-inch display. It also has some other features that are aimed at the iPhone, such as "S Voice" voice commands, which appears similar to Siri on iPhone, but goes a step further by detecting the user's motions to make phone calls. According to Samsung, just lift the Galaxy S III to your face if you decide to call instead of messaging them. The Galaxy S III will be on the market in Eur...