The FBI made more of an effort to get Apple to unlock a terrorist’s iPhone than it did trying to open the device on its own, according to a Justice Department report. The DOJ’s Office of the Inspector General noted in its report (PDF) the FBI ‘s Cryptologic and Electronics Analysis Unit (CEAU), which cracks …

It’s back to school for Apple with a brand-new iPad. Apple on Tuesday unveiled a new version of its iOS-powered tablet at its education event in Chicago, which it hosted at the Lane Tech College Prep High School. The school is the largest public high school in Chicago. “Macs and iPads are used throughout schools by students for everything from …

Now playing: Watch this: Do you care about a cheaper Apple iPad? (The 3:59, Ep…. 4:07 On this podcast, we talk about: Whether a cheaper iPad is enough to get Apple’s devices back in schools How Facebook is now officially facing an FTC investigation  The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought …

It’s a real name-changer.  Google announced Thursday that it’s got a new name fo Android Wear, its software that powers a wide-ranging lineup of wearables like smartwatches. From here on out, you’ll know it as Wear OS, and reminder, it’s not connected to Google’s mobile operating system. A big part of the reason for the change: One-third of new Android …

Researchers say they’ve discovered critical security flaws in AMD chips that could allow attackers to access sensitive data from highly guarded processors across millions of devices. Particularly worrisome is the fact that the alleged vulnerabilities lie in what’s designed to be the secure part of the processors — typically where your device stores sensitive data like passwords and encryption keys. …

Now playing: Watch this: The iPhone X-tra large may be on its way (The 3:59, Ep…. 4:11 On this podcast, we talk about: The iPhone X coming in waves of threes for its next release The Apple doctor is in The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought to you by the …

Now playing: Watch this: Were you impressed by the Samsung Galaxy S9? (The 3:59,… 4:26 On this podcast, we talk about: The Galaxy S9’s big reveals from Mobile World Congress Nokia trying to win again with a nostalgia-filled release The 3:59 gives you bite-size news and analysis about the top stories of the day, brought to you by the CNET News …

Connected devices such as smart lightbulbs, refrigerators and TVs are all bound by Wi-Fi networks. But that might not be the case for much longer.  Arm, a processor design company, is unveiling a new software stack, called Kigen, that would allow SIM cards to be integrated into internet-of-things devices. That is, your smart objects could connect to the internet more …

A new bug on iOS devices causes apps to crash if a certain Indian symbol is displayed. The Indian character in the Telugu language is shutting down iOS apps and preventing them from opening back up. The problem was first spotted by Mobile World, which noted that it’s even worse if the character pops up as a notification. In that …

Pandora’s box is opening wider. The streaming music service on Thursday launched a web version of Pandora Premium, which lets subscribers listen to specific songs online. Until now, subscribers could do this only through Pandora’s app. Pandora Premium, Pandora’s on-demand answer to Spotify and Apple Music, launched last March for $9.99 a month. With the new web version, Pandora Premium users …