Smartphones

Discover Android hardware and system info with CPU-Z

PC users who like to tinker with their Windows systems with things like overclocking use CPU-Z to get useful hardware and system data for their projects. The developers over at CPUID have now brought CPU-Z to the Android community. Whether you've rooted your Android device and are looking to overclock it or if you're just curious about your hardware's internals, CPU-Z can help.

CPU-Z for Android divides the displayed data into four tabs: SOC (system on chip), System, Battery, and Sensors. SOC shows you details of your Android device's CPU, including name, architecture, and clock speed. … Read more

HTC to get a lift from Iron Man star

The HTC One is made of aluminum, but HTC is set to recruit an iron man to advertise it -- yes, the folks at High Tech Computers are reported to have signed "Avengers" and "Sherlock Holmes" star Robert Downey Jr. as the face of their phones.

Fresh from the success of "Iron Man 3," 48-year-old Downey Jr. is reported to be stuffing $12 million into his metal trousers for holding up an HTC phone on billboards, in TV ads and in print.

According to Bloomberg, Downey Jr. "will have final say over creative … Read more

BlackBerry 10.1 OS update for Z10 phone posted in error

BlackBerry Z10 owners on AT&T still can't get the latest update to the BlackBerry operating system.

Earlier on Friday, the BlackBerry OS 10.1 update for the BlackBerry Z10 smartphone was rolled out via AT&T. But that update was actually posted in error, a BlackBerry spokesperson told CNET.

BlackBerry now advises Z10 users who receive a software update notification to disregard it. The company said it's working closely with AT&T to deploy the official update soon.

This means that AT&T and BlackBerry are still behind in launching BB OS 10.… Read more

FAA to loosen rules on in-flight electronic devices, says WSJ

Airline passengers may be able to use their favorite electronic gadgets from takeoff to landing if new FAA guidelines come to pass.

The Federal Aviation Administration is expected to ease the restrictions on the use of certain devices at lower altitudes, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Citing "industry officials and draft recommendations prepared by a high-level advisory panel to FAA," the Journal reported on Friday that passengers would be spared from having to turn off all electronic devices, though cell phones may or may not remain on the banned list.

The FAA's current guidelines prohibit the … Read more

LG to debut Optimus G successor at Aug. 7 media event in NY?

A day after revealing that successor to the Optimus G will be powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 800, LG sent out invitations to a mysterious press event scheduled for August 7

The invitation tells us that that the company will host an "international media event" on that date in New York City but precious little else.

But considering Wednesday's announcement that LG's next flagship smartphone would be powered by Qualcomm's speedy new system-on-a-chip chip, and speculation that the handset would be unveiled in the third quarter, it's a pretty safe bet what South Korean … Read more

Apple: E-book pricing verdict could have 'chilling effect'

NEW YORK -- Apple warned that a guilty verdict in its e-book price-fixing case could have a negative impact on how digital media deals are negotiated in the U.S, the company said Thursday in its closing arguments.

But the U.S. Department of Justice, which initially sued Apple and a handful of the nation's largest publishers early last year, said Apple and the publishers had two objectives when making their deals: raise e-book prices and restrain retail price competition to hurt Amazon.

Declaring that Apple violated antitrust laws and served as the ringleader in a conspiracy to change … Read more

Best Buy offering 'free' iPhone 5 in its trade-in promotion

After Best Buy hosted an iPhone trade-in day earlier this month, the retailer has decided to do it again -- but this time, the deal will last for nine days.

The way the program works is that customers can bring in an iPhone 4S or 4 and trade it for a brand new iPhone 5, according to USA Today. Between June 21 and June 29, Best Buy will give customers a $150 trade-in credit for their old phone, which makes the iPhone 5 free (the 16GB iPhone 5 currently costs $149.99 at Best Buy with a $50 instant rebate).… Read more

The lowdown on Samsung's new products (roundup)

Tablets, cameras, and smartphones, oh my. At a London press conference today, Samsung let loose a number of new products that ranged from a handful of Galaxy smartphones, to several Windows 8 Ativ tablets. In addition, it announced the Galaxy NX, a compact camera that can connect photographers on the go to an LTE data connection. To make sense of all these devices, CNET compiled a list of the new goodies. But what do you guys think? Are you looking forward to any of these devices or are they a pass?

Samsung Galaxy NX Running a 1.6GHz quad-core processor, … Read more

Samsung offers more color variety for Galaxy S4

Consumers looking for a bit more variety in their life will soon have it when it comes to buying a new Samsung Galaxy S4.

During Samsung's big product event in London on Thursday, the company announced a bevy of new color options for flagship smartphone the Samsung Galaxy S4 and the newly introduced Galaxy S4 Active.

Now the company is offering five color options in addition to the already available black and white: Blue Arctic, Purple Mirage, Red Aurora, Brown Autumn, and Pink Twilight. The company also announced additional colors for the Galaxy S4 Active phone, which is a … Read more