Nokia, the Finnish company that embodied the mobile phone revolution until Silicon Valley giants pushed it aside, will live on again as phone brand. Undoing a portion of its 2014 acquisition of Nokia’s phone business, Microsoft is selling off its low-end phone unit as part of a $350 million deal announced Wednesday that will see …

For Microsoft, the phone woes just keep coming. On Wednesday, the software titan said it would unload its low-end phone operations for $350 million to a Finnish startup and a unit of Chinese manufacturing giant Foxconn, which aims to revive the once popular Nokia consumer brand. Remember, Microsoft bought Nokia’s mobile devices business for $7.2 billion (yes, billion) in 2014. …

A Hong Kong-based company has launched a Kickstarter campaign for a “smartstrap” that aims to add up to a week of battery life to the Pebble Time and Pebble Time Steel. Powerstrap on Tuesday introduced the Pal, a $79 strap for Pebble smartwatches that extends battery life and adds GPS. Every Pebble Time smartwatch features a small accessory port on …

Got a ton of pesky loyalty cards you can never find when you need them? Samsung’s got you covered. You can now add your merchant membership and loyalty cards to the Samsung Pay mobile-payments service, allowing you to receive promotions, rewards and other offers right from your Samsung Galaxy smartphone. See also Samsung Pay now lets you withdraw cash at …

Looking for a brain-calming work break along the lines of popping bubble wrap? How about watching gigantic bubbles whirl and float, bloom and merge, and then explode like liquid fireworks? That’s the mesmerizing four-minute escape posted Tuesday by “Shanks FX,” a Web series produced in association with PBS Digital Studios. Joey Shanks creates Hollywood effects with simple household products, in …

In my updated Nvidia Shield review I called it a powerful but niche product that appeals primarily to tech geeks. A software update aims to broaden its appeal, while also increasing its already substantial geek cred. Coming soon with a free update to version 3.2 of Shield’s software is the ability to stream Netflix’s HDR (high dynamic range) material. Shield …

Google I/O, the company’s big developer conference, starts in less than 90 minutes. News has already leaked that the company’s competitor to Amazon’s Echo smart speaker is expected to be unveiled on stage. According to the New York Times, the product — formerly codenamed Chirp — will be called “Google Home.” In addition, we’re bound to see new virtual-reality experiences, …

Now playing: Watch this: Android N packs new features, and you get to name it 2:35 During Google’s annual developer’s conference, Vice President of Engineering at Android Dave Burke introduced a handful of new features coming to the company’s latest mobile operating system. Known (for now) as Android N, the mobile software will feature beefed-up security updates and new emojis. …

Unhappy with an app purchase? You may be able to get a refund. Suppose, for example, you purchased an app by accident. It could happen; perhaps you thought you were getting the trial version, or you’d been considering a handful of different mileage-tracking apps and just plain bought the wrong one. More likely: One of the kids bought something without …

Now playing: Watch this: Change these Windows 10 settings for a better experience 2:13 Sarah Jacobsson Purewal/CNET Update, May 15: With the Windows 10 Creators Update, Microsoft has largely addressed the forced updates that often resulted in lost work. And, while the the recent WannaCry ransomware does not (thus far) appear to affect Windows 10, you need to make sure …

Now playing: Watch this: Here’s how Google will tempt smartwatch fans with Android… 2:26 If the next version of Android Wear does its job, you’ll be futzing with your smartwatch a lot less. Google on Wednesday unveiled Android Wear 2.0, an update to its wearable software that promises a streamlined experience focused on what it believes watch users really need. …

The Nokia name will continue to live on, just perhaps not under Microsoft. Microsoft agreed to sell off its low-end phone unit as part of a $350 million deal announced Wednesday. That’s a fraction of Microsoft’s $7.2 billion acquisition of Nokia’s devices and services businesses in 2014. That deal turned out to be a disaster and was followed by thousands …

Got a need for speed? Netflix feels your pain, Mav. That’s why the video-streaming service on Wednesday announced the launch of Fast.com, a free website that measures how fast (or slow) your mobile or broadband connection is. Similar to other speed measurement tools available on the Internet, Fast.com uses Netflix’s own servers to measure your personal Internet connection, whether you …

Google launched its smartphone payments system Android Pay in the UK on Wednesday, eight months after it first arrived in the US. All Android phone owners will now be able to enjoy the same benefits as iPhone and Samsung users, which have had their own mobile payments systems in place for some months. Once Android Pay is set up on …

Google’s a company that deals with great scale. For instance, it has seven different products that serve a billion users — each. So it’s no surprise that the online search giant would use Wednesday’s keynote address at its annual I/O developer conference as a platform to showcase its progress in a few more numbers. Here are the most interesting statistics …