The mission to get wireless charging into your smartphone continues to invoke plenty of legal drama. Powermat, one of the key companies championing the technology, said that an Israeli judge dismissed a motion filed by three of its board members to block the company from operating. The judge has given the two sides three weeks …

Apple rocked the phone universe when it started a program to sell you a new iPhone every year directly from its own store. What you may not realize is that Apple isn’t the first or only phonemaker to skip Verizon, T-Mobile, Sprint and AT&T and reach out to buyers one-on-one. Motorola’s been doing this for years through its own website …

Apple Pay and Samsung Pay, the competing mobile-payments services, will go head to head next year in the world’s biggest smartphone market. Apple and Samsung said Thursday they had secured separate deals with the China UnionPay bank that will enable their customers in China to add credit or debit cards to the respective mobile-payments services. Both companies said their services …

I’m looking at a hovering watch. It splits into pieces above the table in front of me, exposing gears ticking underneath. My eyes move over glowing yellow dots, which expand into details: ad copy, indicating the Swiss watch’s inner workings and fine details. I click my way through the glowing holographic display using my finger, and then I look at …

Apple’s got a new chief of operations, its first since CEO Tim Cook held the role. The Cupertino, California, company on Thursday named Jeff Williams as chief operating officer. Former CEO Steve Jobs had appointed Cook to that role before naming Cook as his replacement when Jobs became ill. Apple has said it has a succession plan in place for …

Apple’s iCloud Photo Library service is built into its iOS and OS X devices. Using the service, you can backup and sync your photos and videos across all of your Apple devices without any extra effort on your part. Before you begin using it, however, there’s some things you should know. Follow along as we walk you through various aspects, …

Looking back now, it’s clear Apple has long been working its way toward a Dropbox-like solution for keeping files synced across its product lineup. When iCloud originally launched, it offered document and data syncing but lacked any true interface for users to access the files outside of the appropriate apps. With iCloud Drive, the service has turned into a true …

“The Donald” has yet again Trumped the GOP competition on social media. The front-runner in the race to become the Republican nominee for president, Donald Trump was the most talked about candidate on Twitter during Tuesday’s debate in Las Vegas, with 35 percent of all mentions. Twitter users sent more than 1.6 million debate-related tweets during the event, according to …

If terrorists are using the Internet, then take the Internet away. That’s what Donald Trump, the front-runner to be the Republican nominee for president of the United States, suggested last night at the final debate of the year. Trump tempered the remark by saying the US should shut down the Web in ISIS-controlled Syria and Iraq, but his idea could …

The hoverboard controversy continues to heat up. Amazon’s UK division has asked some customers to throw out their hoverboards, the self-balancing scooters that have clambered onto holiday wish lists this season, due to safety problems with the devices. “Please dispose of this product in a [recycling center] as soon as possible,” read a company email sent to customers, which Amazon …

CNET’s Cheapskate scours the Web for great deals on PCs, phones, gadgets and much more. Questions about the Cheapskate blog? Find the answers on our FAQ page. And find more great buys on the CNET Deals page. You know that office party gift-exchange coming up this weekend? Or that loved one who’s constantly leaving the keys in the ignition? Or …

HTC could be close to introducing its next Android smartphone, the so-called One X9, reports Chinese site ANZHOU. But don’t expect this to follow up last spring’s flagship One M9; this one could be more of a middle-of-the-road device. Midrange phones are proliferating the market at a quicker pace than top-tier models and prices are falling across the board. Phone …

You can’t order a pizza from Facebook yet, but you can get a ride through it. The social-networking giant said Wednesday it partnered with Uber to build ride-hailing into its Messenger app. Just send a friend an address in Messenger, and he or she can tap on it to call up a box that says “Request a Ride.” Users can …

The Yamaha A-S801 recalls the look of a traditional integrated amplifier from the 1970s or 1980s. I love its clean lines, minimal controls, and the build quality of this 100-watt-per-channel amp is at least on par with the best specimens from the glory days. Nice, but it also sports features the classics lacked, like a built-in digital converter, and a …

President Frank Underwood will again be running America a few months from now, at least in the fictional world of “House of Cards.” The Netflix original series will return for its fourth season on Friday, March 4, the online video service revealed late Tuesday in an advertising spot that ran during the Republican presidential debate. Playing a trick on the …