After previously revealing it was mulling over the idea, Asus has officially announced it’s working on its own augmented reality headset, and that it plans on releasing it next year. The Taiwanese PC maker declined to discuss details, but CEO Jerry Shen said on Wednesday during an earnings webcast that Asus plans on entering the …

Anyone who has used Apple Pay can tell you how simple it is to use. You place your phone next to the payment kiosk, put your finger on the home button, and you’re done. What’s not easy is figuring out if a business accepts Apple Pay. Pay Finder is a free app that provides a map of local businesses that …

Mophie may be known for its smartphone battery cases, but it’s now making a big push into external battery chargers with an expanded line of slim Powerstation products. Available in multiple battery sizes (1X, 2X, 3X, 5X, 8X) the new chargers start at $40 and sport a premium aluminum finish. They also interface with the company’s mobile power-management app, Mophie …

In the latest of a string of potential disruptions to the traditional digital-camera imaging model — the last was from Light — startup InVisage Technologies is gearing up to ship its first quantum-dot imaging sensors, which the company hopes will displace the more common silicon-based CMOS sensors. Unlike traditional silicon-based sensors, whose photosensitive layer consists of “buckets” that collect the …

Held at the Hilton Westchester hotel November 6 through 8, the New York Audio Show 2015 wasn’t the biggest or comprehensive show I’ve ever attended, but it definitely had great spirit. The exhibitors seemed upbeat, a lot of rooms sounded sweet and the audiophiles I met were all having a good time. Here are a few highlights from the show. …

Facebook wants to keep you in the loop with its latest mobile app. On Wednesday, the world’s largest social network introduced Notify, a mobile program that lets you set custom alerts for news, sports, weather and myriad other topics. Notify has a number of selectable “stations,” such as Fox Sports and The Weather Channel, that allow you to set your …

Airbnb has promised to play nice with local governments. The San Francisco-based home-sharing company on Wednesday published a policy statement in which it vowed to pay its “fair share” of hotel and tourist taxes, share anonymized data on hosts and guests who use the service, and prevent people from listing properties other than their permanent residence. All three of these …

Wearable technology is about to take off. UK airline EasyJet is sending new uniforms down the runway that are covered with LED lights and built-in sensors. Budget flyer EasyJet, founded in 1995 by the colourful entrepreneur Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, is the UK’s biggest airline by number of passengers carried. The airline is celebrating its 20th anniversary by trying out new …

LOS ANGELES — T-Mobile customers will get a chance to clear through their backlog of “Scandal” or “Veep” on their smartphone. The company’s new “Binge On” program, unveiled Tuesday, will let you stream videos from Netflix, HBO Go and more than 20 other services. T-Mobile will work to add more streaming services over time. The video is optimized at a …

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. Talk about a stocking-stuffer. While supplies last, Efurb has the refurbished Google Chromecast streaming-media stick for $27.99 shipped. But if you’re new to Efurb, all you have to do is register (for free) …

Apple’s always orchestrated its music business to draw you in deeper, but now it’s playing for a different crowd. The Cupertino, California, electronics giant Tuesday released a test version of its Apple Music streaming service for Google’s Android operating system, the mobile software that powers the majority of the world’s devices. The company’s only other major Android app helps you …

Now playing: Watch this: High-tech toys raise privacy concerns 2:19 A new wave of interactive toys wants to make playtime more personal than ever. In partnership with Mattel, San Francisco-based ToyTalk has released Hello Barbie, an Internet-connected doll that can have a conversation. Hello Barbie processes speech in a similar manner to a virtual assistant like Siri or Cortana. Press …

MENLO PARK, California — The future of photography is arriving here with a steady drip, drip, drip. At least that’s the plan for InVisage Technologies, a 75-person startup that hopes its exotic new material known as quantum dots will dramatically improve smartphone cameras when it arrives in devices in the first quarter of 2016. “It’s revolutionary on a number of …

The BlackBerry Priv’s Android-powered software is full of small tweaks and customizations BlackBerry has implemented, all with the goal of providing a better user experience. One such feature is called Pop-Up Widgets, which makes it possible to activate a widget from an app’s icon without taking up precious real estate. As useful as the feature may sound, Pop-Up Widgets aren’t …

Remember “Lost”? Specifically, remember the season-two story arc that saw John Locke pushing a button every 108 minutes, ostensibly to prevent global catastrophe? If only he’d had a Microbot Push. This automated, app-powered “robot finger,” currently seeking funding on Indiegogo, can push nearly any mechanical button. In other words, it makes dumb buttons smart. Consider: It could turn on your …