Apple is working on new features for its Apple Watch that would allow the smartwatch to detect abnormal heart rhythms, according to a report Wednesday from Bloomberg News, which cites people familiar with the effort.  Apple’s Smart Watch Series 3 with the Sport Loop band. Scott Stein/CNET One version being tested would require a user …

This much we think we know: Google and HTC are in the “final stages of acquisition talks,” according to a report Thursday by Business Insider, citing a translation from the Taiwanese Commercial Times. The Commercial Times doesn’t say what Google would pay for HTC’s phone business, according to the report.  That lack of detail raises some questions. Is it for …

Do you have your heart set on the iPhone 8 — or whatever it will be called when Apple unveils its new phone lineup on Tuesday? Instant gratification may not be in the forecast, according to a report Thursday in The Wall Street Journal, which says a combination of manufacturing glitches and decisions have pushed back production by about a …

At its Worldwide Developers Conference earlier this month, Apple made clear it’s serious about the augmented reality biz with the release of ARKit, a platform for creating AR experiences on the iPhone and iPhone.  On Monday, MacRumors reported the iPhone maker has acquired SensoMotoric Instruments, a German maker of eye-tracking glasses as well as technology for virtual reality goggles. Apple confirmed the …

People living in rural and underserved parts of eight Southern states can finally get access to high-speed internet service from AT&T, the carrier announced Monday.  AT&T’s Fixed Wireless internet, which provides download speeds of up to 10Mbps and 160GB of data a month, delivers home internet connection via a wireless tower to a fixed outdoor antenna installed at the customer’s …

It appears that bots are getting in on the great net neutrality debate of 2017, according to multiple reports, including CNET’s sister site ZDNet. At least one bot is thought to be posting more than 100,000 messages to the Federal Communications Commission’s web page, urging the agency to roll back the net neutrality rules passed during the Obama administration. Many …

As if air travel wasn’t miserable enough. The Department of Homeland Security is poised to widen its ban of electronics devices larger than a phone in all cabins of flights leaving Europe, the Daily Beast reported Wednesday. The ban is expected to be announced Thursday, the news site says. In March, the DHS announced travelers coming to the US from …

Is Bose spying on consumers? One of its customers thinks it is, and has filed a proposed class-action lawsuit to stop the practice. Kyle Zak claims Bose uses its wireless headphones and companion Bose Connect app to violate the US Wiretap Act by “secretly collecting, transmitting, and disclosing its customers’ private music and audio selections to third parties, including a …

It can be tough figuring out future iPhone demand, especially five months before September, when people expect Apple to introduce three new models of its most important product. Now word comes that chipmakers will “step up their pace of inventory building,” and that chip demand for the iPhone “will exceed 50 million sets per quarter during the second half of …

AT&T doesn’t want its name showing up next to videos promoting intolerance and hate. As a result, the carrier on Wednesday said it’s pulling ads from YouTube and other Google “non-search platforms.” “We are deeply concerned that our ads may have appeared alongside YouTube content promoting terrorism and hate,” the company said in an email. “Until Google can ensure this …