Amazon shows off the Fire at the gadget’s unveiling. James Martin/CNET Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos doesn’t think his company’s Fire Phone is a late entry into the smartphone business, despite the myriad devices already available. In fact, he thinks the e-commerce company is early. “I think in the whole evolution of this, we’re still pretty …

Now playing: Watch this: Amazon introduces the Fire Phone, its first smartphone 2:48 Amazon unveiled its first smartphone — the Fire Phone — on Wednesday, plunging into the highly competitive world of smartphones dominated by Apple and Samsung as part of its plan to convince consumers to buy more from its online megastore. The phone, which includes a limited-time offer …

T-Mobile CEO John Legere is stirring things up on Twitter once again, railing on Amazon for reportedly striking an exclusive deal with his competitor AT&T to power the e-commerce company’s expected smartphone. Legere was at it all day Wednesday, following a report from the Wall Street Journal that AT&T would be the only carrier to provide service for the new …

Uber/American Express Uber is often in the headlines for its scuffles with the government and the taxi industry, and expensive surge pricing, but the myriad controversies isn’t scaring away big partners, including credit giant American Express. The two companies announced a partnership Monday that lets iOS users in the US rack up American Express loyalty points, or spend them, on …

James Martin/CNET Shipments for tablets were down 5 percent over the last year, signaling a slowdown for even the most popular of tablets, Apple’s iPad, NPD DisplaySearch said Wednesday. This is the first time that demand for these mobile devices are down, according to the research firm. Global shipments declined to 56.3 million units in the first quarter of this …

Taxis protesting “VTC” car services like Uber or AlloCab blocked traffic in Paris. Screenshot by Stephen Shankland/CNET of CaBoMaN238/Twitter Former New York taxi commissioner Ashwini Chabra has stepped in to lead Uber’s policy development team, the on-demand car service announced Tuesday. His experience in both tech and government could help smooth over any public sector clashes as the startup continues …

CNET AT&T could close a deal to buy DirecTV for roughly $50 billion in as little as two weeks, The Wall Street Journal reported Monday. The purchase would allow AT&T to expand its television footprint in the US, an attractive move for the telecommunications company. Like its competitors, AT&T continues to compete with cable companies for customers who want bundled …

Facebook poke Facebook Facebook has removed Poke and Facebook camera, two apps that were essentially clones of other successful apps, from the iOS App Store, the company confirmed Friday. The removals, first noticed by The Verge, occurred nearly two years after Facebook introduced the apps. Poke was a rival to popular messaging app Snapchat. Facebook Camera was a clone of …

Lyft’s new, custom-made premium SUV for Lyft Plus. Lyft Lyft rolled out a premium peer-to-peer car service on Thursday in a challenge to Uber’s luxury black car and SUV rides — and it’s doing it in the flashiest way possible. Essentially, Lyft has pimped its rides by partnering with West Coast Customs, the car shop made famous by MTV reality …

The HTC One M8 Harman/Kardon edition Sarah Tew Hoping to excite customers, and keep them from leaving the network, Sprint announced Tuesday a new version of the HTC One designed to provide a better music-listening experience, and signed a pact with Spotify. Sprint, the third-largest US carrier after Verizon and AT&T, has partnered with audio products maker Harman Kardon to …