Bluetooth headset buying guide

A bad Bluetooth device will ruin even the most engaging gab session. That's why it's important to select the right headset, and this guide is here to help. If you need a great hands-free headset right now, definitely check out the Plantronics Voyager Legend. Not only is it lighter and smaller than most devices equipped with a big boom mic, the Legend delivers superb audio quality and has a design comfortable enough to wear with glasses. Another great option is the Jawbone Era which has ultra-advanced features such as a built-in accelerometer, powerful noise-canceling, and HD audio. On … Read more

AT&T's rugged Samsung Rugby III lands December 14 with PTT

AT&T's rough 'n' tumble "Rugby" team gets another player in the Samsung Rugby III, a durable flip phone that will feature AT&T's enhanced push-to-talk (PTT) capabilities.

Starting December 14, the Rugby III costs $99.99 with a two-year contract, but free for organizations with an AT&T business account. Preorders begin November 30.

Intended to be a simple, sturdy handset, the Rugby III keeps features simple. It sports a 2.4-inch QVGA display, a 3-megapixel camera, and a PTT convenience button for easy access, walkie-talkie style. The phone also includes access … Read more

Basis watch keeps eye on health

San Francisco startup Basis Science confirmed pricing and availability for its Basis health tracker today. The $199 watch-style gadget hits the market in early December, continuing the evolution of wearable fitness technology for everyday consumers. … Read more

Samsung Galaxy Axiom sneaks into U.S. Cellular lineup

U.S. Cellular this week quietly introduced another Android smartphone this week with the budget-friendly Samsung Galaxy Axiom.

Appearing on the carrier's Web site without even a press release, the Axiom runs on Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich and delivers a 4-inch 480x800-pixel WVGA display, a 5-megapixel rear camera, and front-facing 1.3-megapixel camera. Additional details include a 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 2,100mAh battery, NFC, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and 4G LTE connectivity.

Astute readers will recognize that the Galaxy Axiom closely resembles the recently announced Galaxy S3 Mini. Save for its slightly faster processor and longer-lasting battery, it'… Read more

Verizon grabs Galaxy Note 2

Samsung's Galaxy Note 2 will continue making the carrier rounds tomorrow by landing in Verizon Wireless stores. The ginormous Android smartphone has been available for pre-order on the carrier's Web site.

Announced in late August at the annual IFA show in Berlin, the Galaxy Note 2 is the successor device to the original Galaxy Note. It has a 5.5-inch display, a quad-core processor, and Android Jelly Bean, and its camera performed well in CNET's review.

Verizon is selling the Galaxy Note 2 for $299 with a two-year contract. AT&T and Sprint also offer the … Read more

Rumor Has It: Will Disney force the return of a Jedi?

This week, Xbox rumors are back, making Karyne hyperventilate; Google might release its own Chromebook by the end of the year; and we have a very bad feeling about these "Star Wars" rumors.

As you know, Disney purchased Lucasfilm recently, giving it the rights to the "Star Wars" franchise. (On a side note, George Lucas took all the profit from the sale and donated it to charity to improve American public education. Seriously, he is the greatest American alive.) But fans everywhere are letting their imaginations run wild, worrying about what Disney will do to the … Read more

Google: Nexus 4 on sale, but high traffic causing purchase errors

Google's newest flagship smartphone went back on sale this afternoon, but heavy traffic to the Google Play store caused errors for many shoppers attempting to purchase the Nexus 4.

The Nexus 4, which starts at $199 with a two-year contract, went on sale November 13 and sold out within the hour. Google did not say how many units it had made available. The phone can be purchased directly through T-Mobile or without a contract from Google Play starting at $299. The unlocked phone can also run on AT&T's network.

Shoppers who had signed up for notification … Read more

Kill mobile ads with Adblock Plus for Android

Released yesterday, Adblock Plus for Android offers a no-nonsense way to completely remove ads from your mobile computing experience. Simply download and install the app, and let it run behind the scenes. From there, you should notice that display ads, video ads, push notifications, and even many in-app ads are no more.

So far, I've seen AdBlock Plus kill ads on several Web sites, including Google, and within the ad-supported Pandora app. According to its developers, though, AdBlock Plus does not work when browsing with Firefox for Android, since Firefox does not support Android's system proxy settings.

Adblock … Read more

Nexus 4 comes back in stock for ordering today

Google has been a cruel mistress to Android fans looking to get their hands on a new Nexus 4 lately. After the latest Google-designed phone sold out in what felt like nanoseconds -- perhaps better described from now on as 'nexi-seconds' -- it's been two weeks of living in "out of stock" limbo.

Until today. At noon ET (9 a.m. PT), Google says, the Nexus 4 will be back on sale via the Google Play store.

The Nexus 4 is available unlocked and contract-free for $299, a price that led to a run on the phones … Read more

LG Nexus 4 (sort of) has 4G LTE

In the best example of things being taken, then given, only to be then taken away again, it was recently discovered that the massively popular LG Nexus 4 houses an LTE modem that works... sort of.

The revelation began over at iFixit, which posted a teardown of the Nexus 4 last week. Front images of the motherboard showed a Qualcomm WTR1605L Seven-Band 4G LTE chip. That's right, a 4G LTE chip.

When asked about this, LG crushed all fantastical dreams of a firmware-enabled LTE upgrade to the ground and told TechRadar that despite the given chipset, the device isn'… Read more