Now playing: Watch this: The history of the telephone 6:23 Since its inception 140 years ago, telephonic technology has revamped human civilisation again and again. It was the promise of fortune and fame that saw inventors in the 1870s racing to be the first to patent voice-transmission tech, but it’s the power to instantly communicate …

It hasn’t been officially announced, but details on the Samsung Galaxy S7 continue to rain down. A video on a Samsung Indonesia website offers the tagline “Get ready for #TheNextGalaxy.” The clip is posted alongside a timeline that hints at the Galaxy S7. The video shows Indonesian archer Dellie Threesyadinda as she takes a Galaxy S phone with her during …

Sony says it’s paring down its TV offerings to concentrate on the high-end 4K market, and its expensive 2016 lineup is further proof. The storied Japanese TV maker is first among major names in announcing 2016 prices for its TVs, all of which use LED LCD technology. And many cost as much or more than comparable OLED-based models from LG, …

If you’re like me, you love shopping on Amazon but you hate paying for shipping — even though a $99 Amazon Prime membership is apparently a fabulous deal if you like to make tiny impulse purchases. So, here are some tricks you can use to get free or discounted shipping from the world’s largest online retailer. Share your Prime membership …

Verizon has revived a promotion that gives its subscribers 2GB of free high speed data per month, “for life.” Available immediately, the deal is offered to both new and existing customers on Verizon’s XL and XXL plans. Related Links Choosing the family plan that’s right for you Before you switch wireless carriers, read this Verizon shuts the door on reviving …

I’m pretty obsessed with tracking my sleep. Maybe even more than my step count or my exercise or calories — or any of the other things I have a score of apps installed to help me keep track of. I’m not a good sleeper, which I think contributes to an unnatural focus on my sleepy times. I aim for seven …

Enlarge Image This tweet of a handgun engraved with “Gov. Jeb Bush” did not go over well on Twitter Tuesday. Screenshot by Danny Gallagher/CNET When you hear the word “America,” what jumps to mind? If you’re American, maybe you think of all the brave men and women who died defending their country and continue to put their lives on the …

Don’t worry Yeezy, help is on the way. A Kanye West fan in Minnesota has created a GoFundMe page for the rapper, fashion designer and Kim Kardashian’s crazier half, a day after the Grammy winner tweeted he was $53 million in debt. West’s financial woes are so bad, he publicly begged two tech billionaires for cash. “Kanye West, prolific entertainer/fashion …

I recently decided to switch from Google Chrome to Mozilla Firefox. No reason, I just felt like it was time to mix it up. I started using Firefox as my main browser, but I kept Chrome installed and occasionally running. A few days into the switch, I noticed that I was getting frequent Facebook notifications in the lower right corner …

News is spreading like wildfire that Sony has lost the virtual reality race. I don’t know about that. Today, you can easily find a dozen stories about how the CEO of GameStop blabbed that Sony’s PlayStation VR headset won’t ship until fall — which would be a significant delay from its expected summer release. With the Oculus Rift slated to …

Signing into your Netflix account and seeing a bunch of random shows in your viewing history is always a puzzling experience. Did you binge watch in your sleep? Did your significant other watch a show, then act like he or she had no idea what you’re talking about? Or worse yet, did a friend or family member share your log-in? …

Apple Pay could land in China as soon as Thursday. Reps for the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China have spread the word via social media that the mobile payments service will launch for its customers on February 18, according to Reuters. A separate post from the WeChat account of China Guangfa Bank credit cards on the Sina Tech website …

Rumours have circled that Apple would be opening up retail stores in India, but it looks like that’s just the beginning of the Cupertino, California-based company’s plans for the region. Apple will be investing $25 million into a development centre in Hyderabad, India, the Economic Times reported on Tuesday. It will be the third such site for Apple outside of …

If you’ve seen the Disney movie “Wall-E,” you’ve seen a future in which technology does everything for us so we never have to lift a finger. Nissan, it appears, is bringing that future closer to reality. The carmaker released a video to its global YouTube channel Sunday showing off smart office chairs that automatically park themselves under desks or around …

Guess what? The Google Chrome browser doesn’t always close completely when you exit out of the last Chrome window. Sometimes — depending on the add-ons and extensions you have installed — the browser continues to run in the background, popping up notifications and allowing people in Google Hangouts to chat with you. You might think this is pretty handy; maybe …