Edition: U.S. / Global

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

Business Day Personal Tech

State of the Art

Amazon’s Fire Phone: Solid Device Beneath a Layer of Whiz-Bang Frippery

By FARHAD MANJOO
Stuart Goldenberg

Despite its flashy features, such as Dynamic Perspective and Firefly, the Fire Phone can stand alone for those uninterested in such frills.

App Smart

Circle the Skies, From Your Smartphone or Tablet

By KIT EATON

Mobile apps can offer realistic graphics and sophisticated controls that simulate many aspects of flying real aircraft.

Minh Uong/The New York Times
Machine Learning

Easier Ways to Protect Email From Unwanted Prying Eyes

By MOLLY WOOD

Security experts say email is a lot more like a postcard than a letter inside an envelope, and almost anyone can read it while the note is in transit.

Gadgetwise

A Smartphone for Consumers Who Want Privacy

By MOLLY WOOD

Blackphone is impressive for the level of privacy that it offers, but do consumers need that amount of security from their smartphone?

Q&A;

Where to Start When Starting a Blog

By J. D. BIERSDORFER

Plus, saving the data on your laptop after a spill.

Q&A;

Maxing Out Gmail Storage

By J. D. BIERSDORFER

Plus, how to remote control and share between Macs.

More State of the Art
State of the Art
Slender Man, drawn on a street in Raleigh, N.C.

Urban Legends Told Online

By FARHAD MANJOO

An attempted murder in Wisconsin is tied to Slender Man, a crowdsourced fictional character said to be a modern twist on the folklore once passed down orally.

State of the Art

A Bright Side to Facebook’s Experiments on Its Users

By FARHAD MANJOO

Studying how social media sites are used can provide valuable insight into human behavior and may also help curb their power and potential for abuse.

More Machine Learning
Machine Learning

Cutting the High Cost of Digital Living

By MOLLY WOOD

An audit of subscriptions can help a consumer find services that are duplicated or unneeded, or that have even been forgotten.

Machine Learning

Swear Off Social Media, for Good or Just for Now

By MOLLY WOOD

Those concerned about their online profiles have a range of options, from deactivating their accounts completely to limiting who sees past posts.

More App Smart
App Smart

Your Time in the Sun, Measured to the Minute

By KIT EATON

Apps can time a user’s exposure to the summer sun, and recommend protective clothing and sunscreen factors.

App Smart

Before Slapping On the Sunscreen, Check the Phone

By KIT EATON

Beachgoers can get weather reports, surf forecasts and some summer reading.

More Gadgetwise
Gadgetwise

External Drives Bring Data Storage Back Home

By GREGORY SCHMIDT

Whether desktop or portable, a user’s own device offers an alternative to cloud storage with its monthly fees.

Gadgetwise
The Microsoft Surface Pro 3 is an intriguing cross between a tablet and a laptop.

Microsoft’s Surface Pro 3 Isn’t for Everybody

By FARHAD MANJOO

Users who mainly want a tablet that can sometimes be used a computer may be fine, but if you want to do intensive work, the Surface Pro isn’t the best.

More Q&A;
Q&A;

Restoring Internet Explorer 11 to Windows 8.1 App Tiles

By J. D. BIERSDORFER

Plus, planning ahead for iOS 8, the next version of Apple’s mobile operating system.

Q&A;

Shielding Modems When Lightning Strikes

By J. D. BIERSDORFER

Also, how to collect scanned pages into a single PDF file.

The App Index

A Guide to Mobile Apps

Browse all the mobile app coverage that has appeared in The New York Times by category, and see what Times writers have on their phones and tablets.

Featured Columns

Machine Learning

A collection of Machine Learning columns from The New York Times.

State of the Art

A collection of State of the Art columns published in The New York Times.

Q & A

A collection of Q & A columns from The New York Times.

Tool Kit

A collection of Tool Kit columns from The New York Times.

App Smart

A collection of App Smart columns and articles about mobile applications from The New York Times.

More News and Reviews

Wired Well

A series from The Well blog explores how technology can help us better understand our personal health.

Interactive Feature

The Well Guide to Activity Trackers

The Times tested some of the latest and most popular trackers to compare how they work and the various features they offer.

Interactive Feature

What Your Activity Tracker Sees and Doesn’t See

High-tech fitness and activity trackers all share one thing: an accelerometer. Here’s how they work — and don’t.

Teardown Graphics
Gadgetwise
Creativity Unleashed, With the Help of a Little Pi

Raspberry Pi, a tiny computer the size of a credit card, has captured the imaginations of students, educators and tinkerers around the world since it became available in 2012.

Graphic
TOOL KIT
A Sensor Guided by Voice or Gestures

Microsoft wants the Xbox One to be the center of a home’s entertainment universe, providing Skype video calls and playing television shows, music and more.

Graphic
Toolkit
Inside the Winbot 730, a Robotic Window Cleaner

The cleaning device figures out the size of your window mirror and then cleans the surface on its own.

Graphic
Tool Kit
Inside the Nest Learning Thermostat

Nest, the company founded by the former Apple designer Tony Fadell, released a new version of its self-learning thermostat on Tuesday.

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