You heard right. Pandora wants to play just the song you ask it to spin. The online radio giant on Monday said it will buy most of smaller rival Rdio for $75 million in cash. As a result, Pandora plans to roll out new services next year that include on-demand listening. The deal underscores the …

The future is uncertain for Microsoft’s plan to introduce a tool for bringing apps originally written for Android to its own Windows 10. The tool, nicknamed Project Astoria, was designed to encourage programmers who wrote apps for devices powered by Google’s mobile software to bring those apps to Microsoft’s new operating system. Windows is still the foundation software for most …

For the first time ever, the Oxford Dictionaries’ word of the year isn’t even a word. It’s an emoji. Specifically, the teary-eyed, bald and jaundiced guy on the right there. Interesting for a dictionary publisher to make a move that risks removing all meaning from the word-of-the-year exercise. Officially, the first pictograph to be bestowed with the honor is actually …

MetroPCS customers will be able to stream all the music they want without biting into their high-speed data. The prepaid brand owned by T-Mobile announced on Monday three features designed to save customers from chewing up their data. One feature offers the ability to stream music without using any high-speed data. The second optimizes streaming video so subscribers can watch …

Apple Pay may land in a third country as soon as Tuesday. Customer service representatives from American Express, which is partnering with Apple for the new launch, told blog site iPhone in Canada that the service is scheduled to take off there Tuesday. In October, Apple CEO Tim Cook said Apple Pay would become available to American Express customers in …

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. Enlarge Image KeySmart You’ve got “smart” everything — phone, watch, thermostat — so why is your keychain still so dumb? Don’t worry, I’m …

Listen up you little Creepers and Zombies out there. Microsoft wants to teach you how to code using Minecraft as a teacher. On Monday, Microsoft announced a partnership with Code.org that will teach kids (and adults) the basics of computer science in an hour using Minecraft-themed lessons. Microsoft bought Mojang, the Swedish video game company behind the hit game, for …

At the iPad Pro’s launch, the Apple Pencil is in short supply. Actually, you likely can’t find one in stores right now, and shipping estimates currently forecast their arrival around Christmas. If you’re lucky enough to have an Apple Pencil, or have waited long enough to finally get your hands on one, you’ll need to pair the small device with …

The first phone to run on Microsoft’s Windows 10 is coming to AT&T on November 20, the carrier announced on Monday. The same day sales begin for the Microsoft Lumia 950, AT&T will also stock the 18.4-inch Samsung Galaxy View tablet. Both these devices have interesting features beyond the norm. The Microsoft Lumia 950 can function like a traditional PC …

Hacker collective Anonymous has declared “war is unleashed” against ISIS, the Islamic militant group that claimed responsibility for the deadly attacks that occurred Friday in Paris. ISIS has used the Internet to recruit new members from around the world and to spread chilling images of executions and other violence. Anonymous, a loosely affiliated group of Internet users who hack and …

WeatherIf is a weather app that doesn’t require you to open an app to check the weather. Instead, it streamlines your weather forecasting operations by sending you notifications. After installing WeatherIf, you will need to launch the app to set up your notifications and then won’t need to touch the app after that. There are five notifications based on different …

T-Mobile CEO John Legere doesn’t believe struggling smartphone maker BlackBerry is down for the count. “On a comeback,” Legere said last week when asked his thoughts on BlackBerry. The words of support, rare at a time when many are skeptical about BlackBerry’s prospects, represent a remarkable turnaround between two companies that severed ties during a spat in 2014. The pair …

Waze, the popular crowdsourced navigation app, is getting touchy-feely in its latest update for Apple’s mobile operating system. Waze version 4.0.1, released on Sunday, now taps into Apple’s 3D Touch feature. 3D Touch adds pressure sensitivity to the iPhone screen, so an app reacts differently based on how hard or soft you press its icon. Waze is just the latest …

Facebook’s Safety Check status tool, which was activated during Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris, remains a “work in progress.” That description from Facebook follows criticism that the social network has chosen not to switch on the feature after violent acts in other parts of the world, including bombings in Beirut one day earlier. Safety Check automatically sends Facebook users in …

SINGAPORE — Taiwanese computer manufacturer MSI showed off one of its laptops themed after Blizzard’s online multiplayer game Heroes of the Storm this weekend at Singapore’s GamesStart convention. The company has partnered with Blizzard Entertainment to release specially skinned versions of three of its G-series gaming rigs — the GE62 Apache, the GT72 Dominator and the GT80. All three will …