Josh Miller/CNET LAS VEGAS — Finsix claims that the Dart is the world smallest laptop charger. And weighing in a just 60 grams, it’s hard to argue. It’s currently available for pre-order, and while $89 seems a bit steep for a replacement power cord, it just might be convenient enough to be worth it. The …

The Dell Inspiron 15 7000. Dell LAS VEGAS — Dell’s latest Inspiron offerings aim to shake up the value line’s image, packing (optional) premium offerings into otherwise humdrum shells. The Insprion 15 5000 and 7000 series run on Intel’s new 5000 series CPUs — codenamed “Broadwell” — as well as discrete graphics options. You’ll be forgiven if you’ve generally overlooked …

The XP7 is a glove-friendly rugged smartphone. Sonim Technologies If you want the peace of mind that comes with owning an “extreme” smartphone and are willing to shell out $579, then Sonim Technologies’ XP7 Extreme just might do the trick. The company’s devices are typically aimed at folks who work in extreme conditions, but an Indiegogo campaign launching today aims …

BlackBerry CEO John Chen Nate Ralph/CNET At an enterprise event in San Francisco on Thursday, Samsung and BlackBerry announced a partnership that couples Samsung’s Knox platform with BlackBerry’s enterprise know-how. It’s all built on BlackBerry’s upcoming BlackBerry Enterprise Services 12 platform, and aims to bolster Android security by leveraging BlackBerry’s end-to-end encryption expertise. This seems like a strange move for …

BlackBerry offered up more details on BlackBerry Enterprise Service 12 at an enterprise event here in San Francisco on Thursday, spelling out its service-focused vision. In the face of declining marketshare and stiff competition, BlackBerry is taking a proactive approach and going multiplatform. BES 12 will support iOS and Android devices as well as BlackBerry’s own wares, bringing BlackBerry’s security …

The Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition. Sarah Tew/CNET Samsung’s mobile-focused take on virtual reality is almost here. The Samsung Gear VR Innovator Edition will reach the US in December, pairing Oculus technology with the 5.7-inch Galaxy Note 4 to bring “a fully immersive virtual reality experience” to a head near you. Presumably yours. It will be available for $199, or …

Now playing: Watch this: Take a look at the Windows 10 Start menu 1:21 The full-screen Windows 8 Start screen has been a real sore point for many of us, and Windows 10 aims to fix all that. The new Start Menu featured in the Windows 10 Technical Preview combines many of the smart ideas Windows 8 introduced with the …

Listening to music is great — and there’s no reason to be left out just because you’re on a Windows Phone. Music streaming services are out in force, and just about all of the most popular players have thrown their weight behind Microsoft’s smartphone platform. That gives Windows Phone fans plenty of options to choose from. Here are a few …

Rick Broida/CNET There’s a new build of the Windows 10 Technical Preview available, for you enterprising early adopters who jumped on the first release. Build 9860 (up from Build 9841) adds a host of new features, squashes some bugs and likely brews up a few new ones. Microsoft says that there are nearly 7,000 new improvements and fixes since the …

The Sony Xperia Z3. Andrew Hoyle/CNET The trade show sometimes called “Europe’s CES” is underway in Berlin, and Sony has come out swinging with a number of updates to its existing wares, coupled with a few new surprises. The star of the show is arguably the Sony Xperia Z3 , Sony’s new flagship Android smartphone. A 2.5Ghz quad-core CPU drives …