The iPhone’s Passbook in action. James Martin/CNET Apple may introduce a new mobile-payment system as soon as the fall, which would add yet another tech giant to a particularly hot trend in mobile. The Information reported Wednesday that conversations between Apple and companies in the payment industry, such as Visa, have “heated up” in recent …

Qualcomm CEO Steve Mollenkopf at the 2014 International CES. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images Qualcomm’s woes in China look to be worsening. Citing the state-run Securities Times newspaper, Reuters said Thursday the China National Development and Reform Commission found that Qualcomm abused its monopoly in the country and could face stiff fines of more than $1 billion. The Securities Times report was …

Stephen Shankland/CNET Qualcomm said its fiscal third-quarter profit rose 42 percent, as the company’s chipset sales showed considerable strength. However, shares fell because of weak guidance projections, dropping 3.3 percent to $78.90 in after-hours trading. The chipmaker, whose technology is part of the iPhone and of Samsung’s Galaxy gadgets, warned that it believes some licensees in China are underreporting their …

The nickel-sized sticker with circuitry lets you unlock your phone by touching the handset to it. Motorola Motorola is offering a unusual approach to unlocking your smartphone: a piece of circuitry that adheres to your wrist. The so-dubbed “digital tattoo” for the Moto X smartphone was launched Tuesday. It was first mentioned last year at the D: All Things Digital …

The iPad Mini Sarah Tew/CNET Don’t worry about the iPad. It’ll be just fine. That’s according to Apple CEO Tim Cook, who offered his defense of the iPad after the device posted its second consecutive quarter of declining sales and again missed analysts’ projections. The disappointing results again ignited concern of potential declining interest in the iPad line — Apple’s …

The original Galaxy Gear CNET Samsung on Monday said it’s now offering owners of the original Galaxy Gear the choice to switch over the smartwatch’s operating system to the company’s own Tizen software from Google’s Android. Word of such a change had been reported in May. While the change is optional, the switch conveys the South Korean company’s interests in …

The iPhone 5S CNET Apple may be planning to beef up the iSight camera in its upcoming iPhone 6 smartphone, according to a report via GforGames. Citing Chinese site Digi-wo.com, the report said Apple may be upgrading to a new 13-megapixel Sony camera sensor in its iPhone 6. The company’s current 5S, 5C, and 4S smartphone cameras offer 8 megapixels. …

A laser writes an invisible waveguide into a smartphone’s display glass. Optics Express Wondering if you have a cold? You may be able one day soon to spit on your smartphone to find out. Researchers at Polytechnique Montréal in Canada, collaborating with glass maker Corning, are getting closer to making that kind of feature a reality for mobile devices by …

BlackBerry BlackBerry on Wednesday introduced a new digital assistant called — you guessed it — BlackBerry Assistant, as the smartphone maker looks to match some of the personal-assistant software already offered by its rivals. BlackBerry, which has been struggling to hang onto customers in the tough smartphone market, is offering BlackBerry Assistant after Apple debuted its voice-assistant Siri in late …

Mediatek MediaTek on Tuesday unveiled its most powerful mobile-computer processor to date, part of the Taiwan-based chipmaker’s push to get more of its offerings into high-end electronics. MediaTek has been able to grow by providing chips for mid- and low-cost smartphones and tablets, particularly in emerging markets. But, recently it has been looking to expand upmarket and into new areas, …