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2015 13-inch MacBook Pro With Retina Display Review

The marquee feature on this computer, though, might be the Force Touch trackpad, which combines Force Touch input and Apple’s unique ‘Taptic’ haptic feedback engine – it’s the first Mac to ship with the new trackpad, and the first chance users have to try it on for size. Basics 13.3-inch 2560 x 1600, 227 PPI IPS LED display 2.7GHz dual-core Intel Core i5 8GB of 1866MHz LPDDR3 SDRAM 128GB PCIe-based flash storage Intel Iris Graphics 6100, supports 3840 x 2160 on two external displays 2x Thunderbolt 2, 2x USB 3, HDMI, SDXC, 3.5mm audio in/out Wi-Fi 802.11ac, Bluetooth 4.0 10 hour wireless web, 12 hour iTunes movie playback MSRP: $1299 (as tested) Product info page Pros Portable and powerful All-day battery Force Touch trackpad is extremely cool Cons No RAM upgrades post-purchase Design The new 13-inch Retina MacBook Pro keeps the same design that Apple has been offering since 2012, but while the case’s novelty may have worn off, the quality of its constructio

Technology Is The Path To Turkey’s Future

While most tech followers might not know it yet, there’s a new country emerging as a leader in technology. Turkey’s rapid economic growth, even in the face of the global economic downturn, has made it a model for dozens of countries across the world looking to develop everything from a robust banking system to health care reform. While this growth was impressive, it has set up the country for an even more exciting period: an explosion of technology-based businesses and homegrown innovation. With its young and connected population, Turkey is becoming a hotbed of invention and a target for investment. Half of the country’s population is under 30, and Turkey has a higher expected college graduation rate than Italy. Eighty-four percent of the country owns a mobile device, and more than 11 million Turks are expected to buy their first smartphones this year. According to the most recent statistics, Turkey had more than 30 million Facebook users — more than France or Germany. A young p

Chromecast Now Lets You Pause And Play With Your TV Remote

Google’s Chromecast turns the phone in your pocket into a really, really great TV remote — which is great, until your TV remote is nearby, but your phone for some reason isn’t. Surprise! Chromecast suddenly lets you pause and un-pause videos with your TV’s infrared remote. While it doesn’t seem that Google has officially announced the functionality, I’ve just tested it myself — and sure enough, it works. Here’s an on-the-fly demo: “But wait!” you say. “The Chromecast doesn’t have an infrared receiver! How can an infrared remote control it?” It’s all working through the magic of HDMI-CEC, the same protocol that allows the Chromecast to automatically turn your Smart TV on when it’s video time. The bad news: that means it won’t work with all TVs, though most made within the last few years should be HDMI-CEC enabled. Some TVs sort of hide the protocol to avoid confusing people — so if you’re not sure, check your manual. (Oh, and your TV’s remote will need a dedicated play/paus

Tesla To Unveil A New Product Line Beyond Cars On April 30

Tesla will introduce a new product line separate from cars on Thursday, April 30 at 9 PM PT according to founder and CEO Elon Musk. The executive tweeted the news from his account on Monday, but so far has shared no other details bout what might be in the works. Musk has previously gone on record saying the company is gearing up to produce a new battery to power people’s homes instead of just their cars. During the company’s most recent earnings call in February, he revealed that the consumer battery pack for home use could enter production in as few as six months. This new category could well be this home battery, since the timing fits. A Tesla home battery could be useful as a backup in case of outages, for homes located off-grid, or as a storage solution for customers using solar power collection installations in their homes. Of course, Musk could be referring to something else entirely – we’ll know by the end of next month what exactly Tesla has up its sleeve.

Google Maps Easter Egg Sets Pac-Man Loose On City Streets

Google has created a new Easter Egg for Google Maps (pretty much just in time for actual Easter) which lets you play Pac-Man in real-world locales on the company’s Maps apps for desktop and mobie devices. It’s easy to play, by either navigating to the Google Maps website or opening the app on your Android or iOS device, and then just searching for a location where Pac-Man might show up. Google is offering hints to help you find the iconic 1980s video game protagonist, but if you’re in a hurry just search for “times square” and you should see a pixelated map flag icon like the one pictured here. Click on that and you’ll launch into a game with simple controls, letting you control Pac-Man as he evades his ghostly enemies with either the arrow keys on a computer or by swiping up, down, left and right to change direction on mobile. Rack up a decent high score with your five lives and then share it with others to see how well you can Pac in the streets.

New homeowner selling house because he can’t get Comcast Internet

One unlucky man who bought a house that can't get wired Internet service is reportedly selling the home just months after moving in. Seth, a software engineer who works at home, bought a house in Kitsap County, Washington, after being told by multiple Comcast employees that he could buy the Internet service he needs to do his job, according to a detailed Consumerist article yesterday. Seth also wrote a lengthy account on his blog titled, "It’s Comcastic, or: I Accidentally Bought a House Without Cable." (The man's last name was not given.) "Before we even made an offer [on the house], I placed two separate phone calls; one to Comcast Business, and one to Xfinity," Seth wrote. "Both sales agents told me that service was available at the address. The Comcast Business agent even told me that a previous resident had already had service. So I believed them." That turned out to be untrue. After multiple visits from Comcast technicians, he says t

A review of Android for Work: Dual-persona support comes to Android

If you work in an office environment, you probably know a few people—maybe a lot of people—with two smartphones. One is a personal phone full of pictures of the family, games, social networking, and sports stuff, and the other is a company-issued smartphone full of e-mail, appointments, contacts, and documents. With two phones, your IT department has full control over your work data and can remotely wipe it, and they never get to see your personal pictures or other information. It's a workable setup, but the downside is all the duplication—you have two phones, two chargers, and almost no free pocket space. The other alternative is BYOD—Bring Your Own Device—in which the IT department takes over and installs a bunch of company software to your personal phone. There is a better way, though, and it's called a "dual-persona smartphone"—a way to have separate work and personal data on a single device. Blackberry was the first to have it baked into the OS in BB10, but