Xiaomi needs all the help it can get to hit its lofty target of selling 80 million smartphones in 2015, and the $150 5.5-inch Redmi Note 2 phablet could provide the boost the company needs as it launches throughout Asia. The smartphone, initially released in China back in August, isn’t the most powerful of devices …

Most people go to Las Vegas to gamble, party or see a show. On a warm winter’s day in January 2014, Ron Louks journeyed there to gamble. But he wasn’t trying his luck at the tables. He was there, on one of his first days on the job as head of BlackBerry’s smartphone business, to bet on the company’s future. …

Now playing on YouTube: a new documentary that tells the story of teenage girls who use computer code to solve problems. The film “Codegirl” is hitting YouTube before it gets to theaters and video on demand, and in that initial window you won’t have to pay to watch it. “Codegirl” follows high-school-age girls from around the world who enter a …

Amazon is once again making it pay to be a Prime member — at least if you’re in the market for an e-reader. Both the Kindle Paperwhite and Kindle Voyage are on sale for Prime members at $89.99 and $169.99 respectively. That’s a $30 discount and the lowest price we’ve seen on the Paperwhite. It also marks the first time …

Microsoft has announced a major overhaul of its OneDrive storage plans, blaming a “small number” of over-enthusiastic users for exceeding reasonable use for its unlimited storage service. As a result, Microsoft will not only axe its unlimited storage offering for Office 365 Home, Personal and University subscribers from early 2016, but it will also cut back storage limits on all …

Photo-messaging app Snapchat has reassured users that their photos will not be stored on its servers after changes to its privacy policy caused widespread confusion. The Venice, California-based company published a blog post on Sunday clarifying changes that were made to its Privacy Policy and Terms and Services last week. Photos shared through Snapchat disappear after the recipient has viewed …

In a bit of irony, Amazon is opening up its first physical bookstore on Tuesday, two decades after launching the online book-sales effort that helped make it an Internet retail giant. Like traditional bookstores, Amazon Books will feature wooden shelves stocked with about 6,000 titles, according to The Seattle Times, which got an early tour of the store in Seattle’s …

Microsoft’s Windows 10 is gaining traction, but at a snail’s pace. The newest flavor of Windows captured a 7.94 percent share of all Web traffic generated by desktop operating systems in October, according to NetMarketShare. But growth has been decelerating since the opening 5.21 percent seen in August. The slower uptake in Windows 10 adoption over the past two months …

Good news, Chromebook fans. Google says it isn’t going to let the metallic-named software that powers them get rusty. Last week, the future of Chromebooks, the low-cost laptops powered by the search giant’s Chrome OS, was called into question when The Wall Street Journal reported Google would fold the software into its Android operating system for smartphones and tablets. Such …

Gone are the days of standing on a street corner and thrusting out your hand to get the attention of a cab. For many urban city dwellers, hitching a ride is as simple as whipping out your phone, tapping in an app, and waiting for a black town car or pink-mustache-flaunting Prius to arrive. Look around any major city and …

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. Enlarge Image At $34, the Martian Notifier is a must-buy. Martian If you’re a regular around these parts, you know how I feel about smartwatches. I won’t pay $350 for one, I won’t …

T-Mobile wants to make sure its customers can get a wireless signal anywhere, especially in two key locations: home and office. The Bellevue, Washington, company said on Monday that it will soon offer the T-Mobile 4G LTE CellSpot, a low-power wireless radio that provides 3G and 4G cell coverage indoors. The radio, also known as a femtocell, acts like a …

Samsung is selling more phones at lower prices as it tries to compete with the growing influence of lower-end rivals. The South Korean mobile phone vendor reported last week a ” significant increase” in smartphone shipments in the third quarter over the same period last year. But Samsung’s more expensive phones now account for a smaller piece of the pie, …

Now playing: Watch this: An easy way to stream Spotify and Amazon Video to your… 1:35 The new Apple TV has finally arrived, however it’s missing two popular apps. Despite an App Store for downloading a variety of games and apps, both Spotify and Amazon Video are nowhere to be found on the new Apple TV . While this could …

Newegg’s month-long Black November event is in full swing. The online retailer is offering discounts on a variety of products across many different categories. There is a lot to sift through, but we’ve done all the hard work. These are the best deals that you can get right now. GoPro Hero 4 Silver CNET senior editor Josh Goldman called the …